Testimonial Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg
Dutch National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security
“The work by academics such as Beatrice de Graaf, Paul ‘t Hart and Kees van den Bos, and their colleagues is important to me as National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (Dutch title: Nationaal Coördinator Terrorismebestrijding en Veiligheid, NCTV). For instance to fathom the historical context of security issues. Or to better understand the psychological mechanisms that come into play in radicalisation.
“Sometimes, I have the effectiveness of specific parts of policies evaluated by academics. But it's also important to keep reflecting on the right balance between security measures and the open character of society. To me, the power of the Dutch approach is that it's not based on established images, but on information and knowledge. That is why I loved to be a guest at the fall event of Security in Open Societies in Utrecht. The NCTV can't do without science.”