The police station in Klazienaveen may close. According to mayor Eric van Oosterhout, the national police are currently investigating the closure of locations throughout the Netherlands.
Wakker-Emmen councilor Karien Velzing calls the possible closure a loss for the largest outer village of the municipality of Emmen and wondered what the consequences of the possible closure would be.
“The investigation has everything to do with money and more people on the street,” Van Oosterhout answers the questions. “It could just be that the office in Klazienaveen has to close, but the last word has not yet been said about that. It is negligible how many people go to that police station. People know how to find the police very well, but not because they go to a police station to go.”
According to the mayor, the deployment of the police will not suffer from the possible closure. “It is not the case that the local police officer sits behind a desk, waits for the phone to ring and then gets into the car. The police are permanently on site because they drive through the municipality, conduct investigations and carry out traffic checks,” says Van Oosterhout. “I don’t lose any sleep over it in all honesty. It’s not about having a desk, but that agents can be on site quickly.”