Ostend (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): A female officer from the Oostende police resigned due to colleague harassment, with no action taken on her complaints. Her lawyer plans a judicial investigation, which the Ghent labor prosecutor’s office is pursuing.
A female police officer from the Ostende police force faced harassment from some of her colleagues. Tom Dens mentioned that the officer tried to report the bullying to her supervisor, but her complaints were not taken seriously. This left her without the support she needed. He mentioned that this situation shows a worrying trend where people in closed environments like police forces struggle to report and solve problems because there is often no accountability.
How will Ostende police address workplace harassment claims?
It has been said that the bullying got worse, and the officer felt she had to quit her job. Even after she left the police, her old colleagues still bothered her. This situation has raised concerns about how the Ostende police deal with workplace harassment and their ability to protect workers from a hostile environment.
The woman reportedly made a goodbye video and wrote a letter. Dens stated that her family and friends knew she was facing issues. She mentioned that her supervisors were informed about the problems with specific examples, but no action was taken.
The lawyer plans to file a complaint for the family to start a judicial investigation. He believes there is a clear link between the bullying and the woman’s actions. Everyone is now waiting to see what the investigation will find. The Ghent labor prosecutor’s office says the investigation is ongoing and taken seriously. They added that once an investigating judge is assigned, that judge will take over the investigation.
