Police chief: Officer’s kick, baton strikes partly excessive in shopping center arrest
Midden-Nederland police Chief Yvonne Hondema addressed the controversial arrest of a 23-year-old woman at Hoog Catharijne shopping center last week, in which a Utrecht officer kicked one woman and struck another with a baton. An independent review, according to Hondema, justified some use of force but recommended a different handling of certain actions, Het Parool reports.
“The colleague had to make split-second decisions, but in this case, it was not de-escalating,” Hondema said. She added that the officer acted technically within his rights but could have chosen differently to avoid escalating the situation.
The arrest followed a report of a disturbance near the Bollendak passage, where the officer confronted two women verbally abusing another person. The 23-year-old from De Koog, Texel, was arrested after ignoring repeated orders to leave. A 39-year-old man from Rotterdam was also arrested for obstruction and insulting officers.
The women have lodged complaints against the officer for assault, attempted serious assault, and misuse of police authority. The Public Prosecution Service is reviewing the case.
Hondema also addressed the threats and doxing the officer and his family have received. “It is completely unacceptable that our colleague has been targeted in this way,” she said, condemning online racist and discriminatory comments directed at both the officer and the women.
Anis Boumanjal, the women's lawyer, expressed his clients' agreement with the use of "partially disproportionate force" and applauded the police's acknowledgement of their responsibility.
