The police also have their eyes on the rural area. Police chief Susanne Huijing: “The places where there are empty farms, where barns or sheds are rented out that are remote, those are really places we look at. But drug crime also takes place in residential areas, so you have to keep your eyes open everywhere. We do that too and the municipality does that too. But we also need the citizens very much. We are very dependent on people in the area who see that something special is going on or who see that the windows are taped , or that smell a strange smell. These are all striking things that we would like to know.”
Tips from society are very important to the police, but sometimes it takes a little longer before the reporters notice that something is being done with their tip. “We often hear that people have the idea that ‘nothing is being done with their tip’. It may seem that way, but then we are really busy in the background,” explains Huijing. “Sometimes we need just a little more information for the investigation, or even more actions have to be taken, which makes it seem as if we are not taking any action. But all the signals and tips together ensure that we have such a ‘ have a complete picture of the criminal kingpins and the drug labs, so those signals are very welcome!”