1/2 Dog Billie (photo: Anthony van Baal).
Those looking for Helmond Brandevoort’s local police officer don’t have to look long. The two meter long Anthony van Baal regularly walks through the neighborhood with his cuddly dog Billie. It helps Anthony to get to know his neighbors in an accessible way. “They see an officer with a gun and next to it a dog with a pink leash and harness. That invites conversation.”
Community police officer Anthony bought a dog for his wife as a birthday present four years ago. A Golden Doodle. But when he took the dog to work once, he noticed that colleagues and local residents responded very well to it. Since then, Billie almost always goes out with Anthony. “I come into contact with people who wouldn’t normally appeal to me,” says Anthony.
It is important for a community police officer to get in touch with local residents. About thirteen thousand people live in Brandevoort, so that is quite a task. “It is usually the same people who report to the police that they are bothered by something. But you don’t actually come into contact with a large group, while they really have something to say.”
“People think we have better things to do.”
Dog Billie makes contact just a little easier for Anthony. She’s not a police dog, Anthony calls Billie a “cuddle dog.” When they walk down the street together, local residents approach the police officer more easily. For example, Anthony often talks to other dog owners or young people who would like to pet Billie. “Young people who normally act very tough suddenly become that little child again when they see Billie. I think that’s nice to see”
In addition to being a sweet cuddly dog for Anthony, the Goldendoodle is a good way to get in touch with people who find it difficult to approach the police themselves. “We start talking about Billie. And then sometimes people suddenly say that they are bothered by dealers or scooter riders in the area. Not everyone has the guts to call the police about it. People often think we have better things to do , while it is precisely the task of the community police officer to know these kinds of things.”
“She provides support for colleagues returning from a traumatic experience.”
As a community police officer, Anthony sometimes has to deal with angry people. “But when I walk up with Billie, or they see her at the police station, the boiling point of their anger often drops. It doesn’t work that way with our police dogs, because they aren’t cuddly. But my Goldendoodle is ideal.”
Not only local residents respond well to Billie walking around in her pink harness. Anthony finds she is also a comfort to his colleagues. “When I sit on the desk with Billie, colleagues come to cuddle with her. She provides support and distraction for colleagues who have just come back from a traumatic experience, such as a serious collision or child CPR. Then they sit on the floor and cuddle with Billie and cool off for a while.”
In recent months, the agent has not often taken his cuddly dog on the road. “Billie is a good-weather dog,” jokes Anthony. But now that the rainy days are over, residents of Brandevoort often see the two walking around.
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