Manhunt for robbers: ‘Agents were in danger due to failing communication’

Maarten Brink, spokesman for the four police unions, is not pleased with the communication during the major police action in which three young robbers were arrested after a manhunt in Rijsbergen. The C2000 system, which the police use to communicate with each other during an action, left much to be desired. “Dramatic and unsafe for my colleagues”, it sounds resolutely. “It’s been a problem for years.”

Profile photo of Eva de Schipper

The positive feeling about the police action, Thursday evening in Rijsbergen, quickly gave way to a negative feeling in Maarten Brink. The word ‘dramatic’ will be used several times during the conversation with Omroep Brabant.

“Police officers were in danger on Thursday night,” he says. “They must be able to communicate with each other and the control room via the walkie-talkie. Crucial messages were lost, for example about the position of the suspects. In addition, officers could not let each other know what they saw or where they were,” describes Brink de situation in Rijsbergen.

“C2000 is the lifeline of police officers, it must be reliable.”

“Those messages have vanished into thin air,” he continues. “That can lead to dangerous situations. If you walk into a dark alley while combing the neighborhood, you want to report it to your colleagues. Or a suspect suddenly appears, who may be armed. Then fill in yourself what is can happen.”

According to Brink, colleagues have already contacted the police command during the police action. “Lack of communication and dangerous situations. It is not an incident, it has been going on for years. C2000 is the lifeline of police officers. It must be reliable. If the system does not function, they are in danger. Not only police officers, but also civilians.”

The C2000 communication system has been a regular subject of discussion since its introduction in 2001. “Two years ago, a new network went live. That should solve a lot of problems. In some places it has succeeded. In other places it has gotten worse, such as in Rijsbergen.”

Brink does not know exactly where the sting is in the system. “These are underlying technical issues. No coverage or connection problems? Everything is undoubtedly being done. But a solution is not yet available. Colleagues must be able to rely on a well-functioning system during their work. Hopefully that will work out,” says Brink.

“Saying to see the problem, does not solve the problem.”

Perhaps against my better judgement. “The police force management recognizes the problem with the C2000 system. But solutions cost money. Well, that’s just the way it is. It’s about the safety of police officers. Officers have been asked to report problems. They have done so well for years, but in practice they see nothing of it. Saying they see the problem does not solve the problem. That became painfully clear on Thursday evening.”

Successor C2000
The Ministry of Justice and Security calls the problems ‘very serious’. “C2000 just has to function. It is of great importance to aid workers,” says a spokesperson. The ministry therefore thinks it is good that the police and control rooms are investigating the problem ‘with urgency’.

Behind the scenes, work is underway on a successor to the C2000 system, which must be used by all emergency services. The new system (working title: NOOVA) is intended to be taken into use in 2025.

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