A'dam cops uncomfortable with citizen observers during stop and search

Police officers in Amsterdam are upset about a municipal experiment in which citizens will monitor the police during stop and search actions. The experiment is doomed to fail, two cops who have been working in the capital for years anonymously told the Telegraaf.

The experiment was met with anger and indignation within the police, the cops said. "We are really used to a lot. We are filmed day and night. But we are not small children who need to be watched closely," one officer said "This feels like a humiliation.

The experiment will run in September. The idea is that citizens will keep an eye on police officers while they stop people and search them for weapons, in an effort to prevent ethnic profiling. Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema posted a call for volunteers on Instagram on Wednesday.

"Apparently she does not trust us," a cop said about Halsema to the Telegraaf. He pointed out that police officers gave an oath. "If she doesn't trust that, this says something about her. Not about us."