News item | 27-12-2023 | 07:00
Throughout the year, police officers, firefighters and boas are confronted with aggression and violence. This undesirable behavior increases during New Year’s Eve. The ‘Taskforce Keeping our care providers safe’ is therefore starting the campaign ‘Emergency workers are there for you’ to draw attention to this problem and as a society to support our care providers.
From verbal aggression to pelting with fireworks, violence against emergency workers happens all year round and peaks during New Year’s Eve. The ‘Taskforce Keeping Caregivers Safe’ emphasizes that violence against care providers is unacceptable and that it is important for everyone that care providers can do their work in complete safety. They are also ready during New Year’s Eve to ensure that everyone can ring in the new year in a pleasant and, above all, safe way.
‘Care providers are there for you’ is the central message of the campaign. It is time to stand together in front of first responders and stop violence. They serve society and work all year round for the safety of everyone. It is unacceptable that they have to deal with aggression and violence. And violence against aid workers is common. Too often. This should never become normal.
‘Words matter. Behavior matters. I stand for our first responders. Everyone should do that.’ said Pieter Verhoeven, chairman of the Taskforce Our emergency workers are safe.
Emergency services go where violence is used, where help is needed in a dangerous situation or where enforcement is required. These situations make care providers vulnerable and they deserve protection. Because: who wants to do this work if verbal and physical violence is ‘part of it’?
Ultimately no one left. And what happens if they don’t come?
But…they will come. And we call on everyone to do things differently this year and not to look away, but to work together to ensure a safe New Year’s Eve for everyone. Emergency workers deserve respect and appreciation for their efforts, especially during this period in which they make extra efforts to help others enter the new year safely.