hulpofficier van justitie

A hulpofficier van justitie is a police officer who has been granted special legal powers under Dutch criminal procedure law, allowing them to take certain investigative and coercive decisions that ordinary officers cannot. They work under the authority of the public prosecutor (officier van justitie). In missing-person and other police cases, this role matters because the hulpofficier is the officer who assesses whether a case is urgent and what steps to take.