The Hague police chief expects officers to be injured during New Year’s Eve unrest
The police chief of The Hague says she expects officers to be injured during the upcoming New Year’s Eve celebrations, as the city prepares for the final year in which consumers are allowed to set off fireworks.
Karin Krukkert, head of the Hague police unit, said the risk of injuries to officers during the year-end celebrations is inevitable. “It is not a question of whether we will have injured colleagues at the end of New Year’s Eve,” Krukkert said in an interview with Omroep West. “But, however sad it is, that it is a given.”
This year marks the last time consumers will be legally allowed to set off fireworks in the Netherlands, a change that adds uncertainty to the situation. “What that will do to the upcoming New Year’s Eve is, of course, difficult to predict,” she said. “At the same time, we know that people use New Year’s Eve as an excuse to make a complete mess.”
In response, the police unit has adjusted its approach in the run-up to December 31. According to Krukkert, police launched an early crackdown on illegal fireworks at the start of the year and intend to continue that effort through the coming weeks.
“At the beginning of the year, we started an offensive against fireworks, and we will simply continue that in the period ahead,” she said.
She emphasized a zero-tolerance message aimed at deterring stockpiling. “The message is: ‘If we know that you have something at home, then we will also come to your home to take it away,’” Krukkert said.
The police chief added that the strategy appears to be having an effect. “We have signals that the supply in this area has decreased as a result,” she said.
