For police officers, a report can turn into a life-threatening situation in a few seconds. District police officer Danny from the Den Bosch police knows this better than anyone. As a self-proclaimed ‘street rat in uniform’, he encounters unpredictable situations every day, even though he is used to a lot.
Three police cars, sirens blaring, speed through the city center of Den Bosch on a summer afternoon. They race through the roundabout in a convoy, on their way to a report. “A woman walked out with a knife,” Officer Brian says as he steers his car through the narrow streets of a residential neighborhood.
“It could get serious, they have been arguing for years.”
“She wants to stab the neighbor,” adds colleague Danny from the passenger seat. The police car in front of them shoots into the street at high speed, Brian follows. “It could get serious, they have been arguing for years,” Danny says.
Last summer, Omroep Brabant watched with six officers from the Den Bosch police. During the patrols they talk about what they experience, what they encounter and why they do this work.
“I want to get all the bystanders out of here,” Danny shouts into his walkie-talkie. There is now a group of local residents in front of the house of the woman with the knife: men in shorts and slippers, children and a lady in a mobility scooter. “Back up everyone! Back up!” he shouts as he orders the crowd away.
The doors and windows of the house are tightly sealed. “We’re waiting for the dog handler,” says Brian, while a few bystanders film the situation. “Then we can go in with a shield, and maybe with dogs.”
“Yes, then you have to make choices,” says Danny. “That woman is locked inside, shutters down, curtains closed.”
He has been working as a local police officer in Den Bosch for years. “I used to want to be a professional footballer,” he says with a smile. “After my college education I thought: I want something other than just sitting behind a desk.”
“They sometimes call me a street rat in a uniform.”
When a vacancy became available at the police, he didn’t hesitate for a moment. “They sometimes call me a street rat in a uniform, and that’s true,” he says with a broad, mischievous smile. “I grew up in Nijmegen, in a deprived neighborhood. As a young guest I saw all kinds of things. I know the language of the street, I know what those people are experiencing.”
“How are you?” Danny walks up to a man in yellow trunks in the crowd and shakes his hand. “Yes, that’s fine too boy.” After years on the street, he knows almost everyone. “I am now a local police officer and have worked a lot with young people. That is what I prefer to do.”
Then the door of the house opens. “Show hands! Show hands!” Brian shouts. “Turn around! Otherwise I’ll use the taser!”, another officer shouts. The woman rants for a moment, but does not resist. She is handcuffed and taken to the police car in her bare feet.
“And the whole shitty neighborhood is here watching!” she screams as the officers take her away.
Bossche Blue
In the series Bossche Blauwe, Omroep Brabant gives you a look behind the scenes at the police in Den Bosch. Want to see more? Watch Bossche Blauwe via Brabant+.