The police reported a turbulent New Year’s Eve with several “serious incidents.” Officers and other emergency responders were attacked in various areas, resulting in an unspecified number of injuries. In Amsterdam, warning shots were fired by police when they were assaulted.
The country experienced incidents of arson, vandalism, violence, and fireworks accidents. At least 200 people were arrested nationwide, although exact figures are not yet available.
The riot police were deployed in Rotterdam, The Hague, and Amsterdam, with several stabbing and shooting incidents reported. The atmosphere around Dam Square in Amsterdam was tense, with multiple reports of robberies.
Nationwide communication outage The police communication network faced a nationwide outage during the New Year’s Eve, impacting other emergency services like ambulances and fire departments, according to the police union NPB. The outage lasted for several hours but did not lead to major incidents, according to police leadership.
The issue was resolved by the end of the night, and an investigation into the cause is underway. Officers have long criticized the C2000 system, used for communication with control rooms.
Although the backup system functioned, it required officers to remove their hearing protection to use it.
Source: NOS