Hans Post gestures as he talks to IPJ News reporters at his office in Bussum. Photo by Ruslan Ramli/IPJ News
By: Ruslan Ramli and Aán Suryana
IPJ News – Just like other cities in the Netherlands, vandalism and drugs had been pressing problems for police force in the Dutch city of Bussum, said a local police officer.
Hans Post, local police officer, blamed ignorance for increasing vandalism in the city. “Many shopkeepers let underage teens consume alcohol despite a national ban against this practice,” the police officer told IPJ News at his office located at the heart of Bussum, Hilversum.
Under Dutch law, alcoholic drinks can only be sold to people above 18-years old.
According to Post, the problems of teenage drinking abuse peak on Friday and Saturday nights when many people flock to night clubs and bars in the city at weekends. “People are getting aggressive after they drink alcoholic beverages too much, and it is usually followed by fights,” said Post. To keep the situation under control, Post and his colleagues regularly do the night shifts that start at 8 pm and last at 5 am at the next morning.
Drugs
Meanwhile, regarding drugs, the police officer said that people mostly smoked marijuana, while others consumed ecstasy and cocaine. Under Dutch law, coffee shops are allowed to sell certain amounts of marijuana, but in practice, due their ignorance, many sell sold too much marijuana. Consuming too much marijuana often leads teenagers into crime problems.
“Those include breaking into people houses; breaking the cars or stealing bikes,” Post said.
Having been with the police force for 25 years, the police officer said that the biggest case that he has handled was a murder case. “It was about the murder of a man connected to a powerful person living in Amsterdam,” said Post.
The man was shot dead inside his car in front of a hotel in Bussum. Post said he has been part of a team investigating the case, but so far, the perpetrator is still at large. The motive behind the murder is also still unknown, said Post.
Post says that in doing investigation into the case, he cooperated with other police officers stationed outside Bussum. The cooperation also occurs during his efforts in tackling major cases related to vandalism and drugs. Post is one among 700 people working for one of the country’s 25 Netherlands’ regional police forces, namely Gooi en Vechstreek region.
A house becomes a subject of vandalism in Bussum city. Picture by Daru Priyambodo/IPJ News
