Police chief of East Brabant Sjoerd Top is concerned about the amount of violence towards riot police. According to him, violence during demonstrations is increasing. The Mobile Unit was also deployed fifteen percent more often in 2025. This has consequences for regular police work.
This year the Mobile Unit had to take action fifteen percent more often than last year. The riot police were present at, among other things, an asylum seekers’ center demonstration in Uden and during the PSV championship party. In Den Bosch, the riot police were on standby as a precaution because there were signals that a storming of an asylum center was being prepared.
According to the new police chief of East Brabant, these types of deployments have major consequences for other police work. The riot police work is an additional task for police officers. “If the riot police are deployed, this means that these employees are not present in the neighborhoods or can solve cases as detectives. They are therefore not available to assist victims. If we deploy a platoon of riot police officers, this means that fifty police officers cannot do any other police work during a shift. That is an enormous capacity. These are choices we have to make every day,” Top explains. Last year, 21 officers reported attempted manslaughter. A year earlier there were three declarations.
Calling too quickly?
Top, who was a riot police officer himself in the past, disputes the idea that the Mobile Unit is sometimes deployed too early. “A mayor must always give permission for the deployment of the riot police. He is also aware that police officers cannot then be active in the neighborhood. The deployment is always based on information we receive from our information organization.”
In order to know what is going on in society, the police contact so-called allies. “These could be football supporters, influencers or people active in the agricultural sector. They try to influence others in a positive way not to use violence. We try, together with these allies, to ensure that the right to demonstrate and demonstrate is guaranteed, without it leading to violence.”
Tear gas from water cannon
The increase in violence towards police officers and riot police worries Top. The police and riot police will therefore receive more resources from the minister. For example, larger cans of pepper spray will be available. “And if things really go wrong, we can from now on use water cannons that not only spray water, but also a form of tear gas. We only do this with the permission of the mayor. We really want to avoid ending up in a situation where riot police have to draw their firearms. If the baton is no longer sufficient, these resources at least offer the opportunity to prevent more serious violence.”
With these measures, Top hopes that violence will decrease. At the same time, he sees that experienced riot police officers sometimes consciously stop their extra task. “That has to do with the amount of violence, but also with the number of deployments. Sometimes they do not have a single weekend off in a period of two to three months. That is a cause for concern.”