There were many police on the ground in the Het Paradijs shopping center in Hoofddorp at the beginning of the evening. There would be someone walking around with a gun, which in the end was probably children playing with a fake gun.
The report came in around 6:30 p.m. The police then started a search at the Het Paradijs shopping center at the Muiderbos in Hoofddorp.
After an investigation, during which the police helicopter was also deployed, no one was found. A police spokesperson told NH that, according to witnesses, it was probably children playing with what appeared to be a fake weapon.
The spokesperson wants to emphasize that taking fake firearms is dangerous and prohibited. “Such a report is taken very seriously and we are fully committed to it. Both conspicuous and inconspicuous colleagues have searched but found no one.”
According to him, it is difficult to estimate whether these types of objects are fake or real. “A fake weapon can be seen as a threat by others. If a fake firearm cannot be distinguished from a real firearm, officers always act as if it were a real firearm.”