Boa Officers in Schiedam Lose Authority to Issue Fines
After Municipality Botches Paperwork 😱

More than 200 fines issued by special enforcement officers (BOA's) in the Dutch municipality of Schiedam will be withdrawn after the city council failed to properly renew their enforcement authority. Their special powers expired on June 2, and more than 200 tickets written since then are now invalid.

The officers are temporarily reduced to mere surveillance duties. They can no longer write fines, conduct arrests, use force, or apply handcuffs until their certification is formally renewed - which is not expected until late July. The municipality admitted an required advisory document was missing from the renewal application.

The mayor of Schiedam, Harald Bergmann, apologized, stating: "Residents must be able to trust that enforcement is carried out by properly certified personnel. That has not been the case, and we take this very seriously."

The national BOA union condemned the situation as amateurish, calling it poor employment practice by the municipality. In the meantime, officers must call in regular police whenever enforcement action is needed. 😠