Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg takes over as NCTV

Today Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg will start work as National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism at the Ministry of Justice and Security

Mr Aalbersberg was appointed to the position by the cabinet in November last year, at which time he was Chief Constable of the Amsterdam Regional Unit. Prior to that, he was Chief Constable of Amsterdam-Amstelland and IJsselland police forces, respectively. In 2014, following the MH17 disaster, he served as head of the repatriation mission in Ukraine.

‘Over the past few weeks I’ve had a chance to get to know many of my new colleagues and partners, both internal and external,’ said Mr Aalbersberg. ‘I’m very much looking forward to getting to work in this interesting new role, which carries heavy responsibilities. The Office of the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism is responsible for several matters: determining the threat level in the Netherlands; providing coordination in specific crisis situations; and, above all, keeping society safe from a broad spectrum of threats, both in the real world and in cyberspace. It’s an exciting, complex and varied field involving many partners who do solid, important work. I look forward to working with them to help ensure a safe and stable Netherlands.’

Mr Aalbersberg succeeds Dick Schoof, who became Director-General of the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) in November 2018. Patricia Zorko has been Acting National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism in the interim. Today she returns to her role as Deputy National Coordinator.