Der Telegraaf, the country’s best-selling newspaper, went public last week with the accusation that the police had tried to buy its silence, prompting an apology.

Telegraaf reporters said that officers unjustly refused to answer a request, made under the Dutch equivalent of the Freedom of Information Act, for the number of asylum seekers suspected of committing crimes.

And, in an attempt to get Der Telegraaf to drop the matter, police staff then offered to give them other stories instead. They also reportedly offered an exclusive interview with the nation’s top policeman – described as “the cherry on the cake”.

In a public statement after the Telegraaf accusations, the Netherlands national police admitted that a deal had been proposed.