Toespraak van staatssecretaris Dijkhoff bij de officiële opening van Penitentiaire Inrichting voor Noorse gedetineerden Norgerhaven

Toespraak | 02-09-2015

Your Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Exactly six months ago, many of you gathered near here in the Prison Museum in the former prison village of Veenhuizen.

There, my Norwegian counterpart, Anders Anundsen, and my predecessor, Fred Teeven, signed an agreement allowing Norwegian prison sentences to be served in the Netherlands, here at Norgerhaven prison. A name that resembles 'garden of Norway' in Norwegian, but the prison was named after the nearby village of Norg.

The agreement that Mr Anundsen and Mr Teeven signed was unprecedented. Never before had countries so far apart worked together so closely in the area of detention.

Since that day, Norway and the Netherlands have been pushing back boundaries. Geographical, legal and organisational boundaries. With the aim of working together in a way that benefits both countries.

We have a lot to offer each other.

Norway has too few prison cells, whereas the Netherlands has prison cells to spare. So it’s hard for us to keep all our prison officers in a job.

By making our cells available to Norway we can solve the capacity problem. And protect the jobs of our skilled staff.

And with that shared ambition in mind, today we’re entering a new phase.

Six months ago, there were still many questions:

'Can we achieve this in such a short time?'

'How exactly will we transport prisoners between Norway and the Netherlands?'

And: 'Is there enough parliamentary support in both countries?'

All these questions have been resolved over the past six months. And I’d like to thank some people for this.

The Norwegian and Dutch delegations: the men and women of the Directorate of Norwegian Correctional Service and the Dutch Custodial Institutions Agency, and the staff of our ministries.

I’d also like to thank our partners: the Royal Military and Border Police, the Ministry of Defence, the municipalities, the airport, the Public Prosecution Service and many others.

And let me thank the members of parliament in both countries who dealt with this issue so swiftly. I also appreciate the presence of several Norwegian MPs here today.

Last time a delegation of the Norwegian Parliament visited the Netherlands, they were kind enough to give me a present. A crime novel by Jo NesbØ. I was very pleased with it, but then I saw it was part of a series. Consisting of 10 parts!

I am not sure if it was just a nice present, or a form of thorough preparation for this project. Either way, it’s safe to say: when I’m finished, I know my way around in Norwegian crime.

Of course, I would like to thank the Norwegians MPs here today for making the trip.

As of today – well, yesterday in fact – the time for questions is over. The time for action has begun.

The first 24 inmates arrived from Norway yesterday. The first management meetings have been held. And new signs have been put up in the halls of the prison, in Dutch, English and… Norwegian.

Back in March, the Netherlands was hosting the Norwegian delegation in 'our' prison. Today we are the guests of the Norwegians.

And although there are only 24 inmates so far, this prison is now fully operational. With one exception though…

As happened with so many renovation projects: the new kitchen hasn't been delivered yet.

But when it arrives, on October the 24th, we'll really be up and running.

Will it be plain sailing from then on? No.

I’m sure there will be obstacles for us to overcome. Our prison officers will be dealing with different prisoners. A different language, different customs and a different prison culture.

This will require everyone to be flexible. But our people are well prepared.

They’ve attended an English language course, they’ve been trained in Norwegian prison law and they've learned about the culture in Norwegian prisons. And they will be working with highly qualified Norwegian leadership.

Ladies and gentlemen,

As I have said, the agreement signed in March was unprecedented. It's now up to us all to make it a resounding success. I hope that Norgerhaven, now truly a garden of Norway, will become a shining example in the world of international prison cooperation.

Thank you, and let's get to work!