National police radio system crashed during turbulent New Year’s

The Dutch police's communication network, C2000, experienced a nationwide outage during New Year’s Eve, causing significant disruptions for law enforcement, emergency services, and the public. The outage, which lasted several hours, impacted police, fire services, and ambulance teams.

Police unions NPB and ACP confirmed the disruption, which they said affected communication between officers and emergency call centers. “Your lifeline goes out at the moment when you need to perform under pressure,” said NPB Chairman Nine Kooiman, describing the stress caused by the outage. Kooiman noted that the failure delayed police response to a report of an individual carrying a knife in Brabant. The outage has since been resolved.

While the incident did not appear to lead to any major emergencies, Kooiman highlighted the challenges posed by the failure of the C2000 system, which serves as a crucial link for law enforcement. The backup system was functional, but it required officers to remove their hearing protection in order to communicate through mobile phones, which can be dangerous, especially during a night where fireworks are thrown at police during riots. Kooiman emphasized that hearing protection is vital during such disturbances.

Unions also reported a generally chaotic New Year's Eve, with numerous incidents across the country. ACP Chairman Ramon Meijerink confirmed that there were riots and clashes in several areas, requiring police intervention.