The news that the Public Prosecution Service is going to prosecute the agent came to the police union “like a bolt from the blue.” Wim Groeneweg, chairman of the police union, believes that the Public Prosecution Service reinforces the image that the police use violence without cause. “No officer leaves home with the idea of injuring someone,” he told Omroep Brabant. “Where people work, mistakes are made.”
The riots in Eindhoven were violent on the day in question, including on 18 Septemberplein and at Eindhoven Central station. Rioters confronted the police, vandalized and looted shops.
Life-threatening situations
Groeneweg is afraid that prosecuting the officer could endanger other officers in the future. “For example, the next time they face hooligans, they will think twice before using violence. But because of that reticence, they can put themselves or colleagues in life-threatening situations,” he tells Omroep Brabant.