NH News helps tight police Alkmaar: “It is puzzling to get the rosters around”

Twilight sets in when reporter Isabella Prins enters the police grounds at Mallegatsplein in Alkmaar. In front of the building, two officers are escorting a handcuffed man towards the police station.

Upon entering, Isabella is met by Marc. He wears a police uniform. Dark blue pants and jacket with reflective yellow details. Around his hips he wears a special belt to which a baton, pistol and handcuffs are attached. There is a big smile on his face.

helping out

Marc has been a police officer on the street for many years. He is now a manager and works in the office. Yet it regularly happens that he has to go back to the streets due to the shortage of personnel and help with emergency aid. And he is not alone in this. In total, this concerns more than 70 employees from various departments. In addition, basic teams also provide assistance to each other and flex teams, operational managers and community police officers are scheduled for part of their time for emergency aid.

Although Marc prefers that these kinds of emergency measures are not necessary, he does not mind helping out. “In this way I keep in touch with officers on the street and I stay informed of how things are going there.”

It’s time to get started. In the garage of the police station, Marc and Isabella are met by Mike in one of the police buses. Isabella has only just taken her seat when the first report comes in: a man in the Drechterwaard in Alkmaar with a knife. The team heads for it.

About 1500 people work in the basic teams in the North Holland police unit. The understaffing in these teams is currently almost 8 percent. In combination with the increased work and the emergency assistance that must be available 24/7, the workload is high and it is sometimes puzzling to get the rosters round, Marc explains.

‘Storm in a glass of water’

Arriving on location, it soon becomes clear that little is going on. “It was a storm in a teacup,” says Marc. There is no question of a ‘real’ knife. “It was smaller than a potato peeler.” Nevertheless, it is important to take these types of reports seriously, explains Marc. “You never know if someone carrying a small knife might not also have a bigger knife.”

(Watch the short video below)

Curious about the whole episode, click here.

Marc considers it a pity that guaranteeing emergency aid sometimes comes at the expense of other activities. It ensures that other activities are put on hold for longer. This concerns, for example, the tasks of youth or community police officers. “That’s a little less.” The man from Alkmaar is allowed to continue on his way without a knife and the police team gets back on the bus. They drive on together.

The police are busy recruiting to ensure that emergency measures, such as the deployment of authorized personnel from other departments, are no longer necessary. For example, they provide information at schools and at events to make people enthusiastic about working for the police. Marc also hopes that people will join soon. He calls police work ‘a job for life’.

Not a day the same

While Mike, who is behind the wheel, maneuvers through the road traffic, Marc explains what he thinks makes the job of the police so beautiful. “It’s a versatile job and no day is the same. One time you have to help, the next day you catch another crook.” Although both men are happy with their jobs, they are experiencing the necessary disadvantages of the staff shortage. For example, holidays have to be requested longer in advance and the career opportunities are currently more limited due to the shortage.

While Mike and Marc are busy talking to Isabella, they receive various reports via the walkie-talkie. “We need to listen,” one of the two says. A motorcyclist has been hit. With sirens and flashing lights on, they drive at high speed towards the traffic accident.

Improvise

Marc hands Isabella a bright yellow vest and asks if she can set up cones around the accident site to direct traffic and prevent other accidents. The roadway is closed, the intersection is closed. This allows the ambulance and the towing service to reach the scene of the accident unimpeded.

The motorcyclist is approachable and appears to be slightly injured, Marc indicates. The road is therefore released again after half an hour and the pylons are removed. “It often goes like this with the police. There is no immediate plan. It is improvisation. Let’s see how and what.”

Back at the police station, it’s time for Marc and Mike to eat. They heat up their own meal in a microwave. It’s time for Isabella to say goodbye. While the men eat their dinner, Isabella drives back to the newsroom. The day at the police station is over.