Royal Navy sailors arrested in Rotterdam for being drunk and disorderly
Three Royal Navy sailors have been arrested in Rotterdam over alleged drink and drug offences.
Dutch police said that one was tasered after drunkenly assaulting an officer and another was found with suspected hard drugs.
The suspects were detained in separate incidents between Monday and Wednesday evening, according to the Dutch military police.
They were among 800 sailors and aircrew on shore leave in the port city after the Navy’s £3.5 billion aircraft HMS Prince of Wales had docked there as part of Nato’s Steadfast Defender, the military alliance’s largest post-Cold War exercise.
One sailor was detained late on Monday night to the early hours of Tuesday morning after clashing with local police.
The unnamed sailor was “overpowered with a taser” before being arrested for assaulting an officer. He is being detained locally before facing a Dutch court, the Dutch military police said.
‘We’ve stepped up patrols’
Two police officers allegedly suffered bruising in the incident in the city centre of Rotterdam.
A second sailor was arrested on the same night for being drunk in public and suspected of carrying hard drugs, which sources described as “cocaine”.
He was released and handed back into the custody of the British military, which will test the drugs and carry out any eventual punishment.
It was not clear if the two arrests were linked.
A third British serviceman was arrested on Wednesday night for being drunk in public in the city centre and failing to produce identity papers.
Dutch military police said he was made to pay a fine and released.
Captain Mike Hofman said: “We’ve stepped up patrols. We’re going to do that through the weekend.
“The British Navy police will be joining us on the patrols this weekend.”
‘Ongoing investigation’
Dutch police said there were no incidents on Thursday night after extra patrols were deployed across Rotterdam.
A Royal Navy spokesman said: “We are aware of alleged incidents which are under investigation. As this is an ongoing investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
HMS Prince of Wales is leading a Nato carrier strike group as part of the Steadfast Defender exercise.
The 65,000-tonne, 280-metre carrier is expected to leave Rotterdam on Monday.
The vessel was launched in 2017 and has a minimum crew of 700. Its flight deck can carry up to 48 F-35 stealth fighter jets and four Merlin helicopters.
It can also carry up to 250 Royal Marines and attack helicopters.
