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🇳🇱 Netherlands /Crime & Justice

Dutch prosecutors clear Utrecht officer who kicked woman during arrest

From NRC Handelsblad · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement Outcome reported
  • Prosecutors in the Netherlands have decided not to open a criminal investigation into an Utrecht police officer who struck two women and kicked one during an arrest.
  • After an eight-month fact-finding inquiry, prosecutors said the kick was proportionate and necessary to create space during the arrest.
  • The women alleged assault, breaches of police use-of-force rules and discrimination, and can ask an appeals court to order prosecution.

Dutch prosecutors have cleared a Utrecht police officer who struck two women with a baton and kicked one of them during an arrest near Utrecht Central Station earlier this year.

The incident took place on January 26 near the Hoog Catharijne shopping centre. Video of the officer hitting and kicking the women spread widely on social media, prompting public anger. Both women, who wore headscarves, filed complaints a week later alleging assault, a breach of police use-of-force rules and discrimination. Two witnesses also filed complaints.

The bystanders were ordered several times to leave, but they did not listen. Several police officers had also warned beforehand that force would be used. Finally, it can be established that two people strongly resisted their arrest.

· Public Prosecution Service in Central NetherlandsProsecutors explained why they considered the force used during the arrest lawful.

The Public Prosecution Service in Central Netherlands spent eight months examining the incident. Investigators interviewed 11 officers and reviewed camera footage to determine whether the police instructions had been followed and whether the level of force matched the situation.

proportionate and necessary

· Public Prosecution Service in Central NetherlandsThe prosecution service’s assessment of the officer’s kick during the arrest.

Prosecutors said bystanders had repeatedly been ordered to leave and ignored the instructions. Police officers had also warned in advance that force would be used, while two people had strongly resisted arrest. They described the scene as chaotic, with several officers reporting a grim atmosphere.

The officer, questioned anonymously because he had reportedly received threats, said people had aggressively abused him during the operation. Prosecutors said the kick was a defensive move intended to create the distance and space needed to complete the arrest, making it “proportionate and necessary”.

There was a lot of swearing involving cancer

· Utrecht police officerThe officer described the verbal abuse he said he faced during the operation.

The women also alleged that the officer made a racist remark, saying they “did not belong in this country”. Prosecutors said a careful review of footage and witness statements found no evidence for that claim. The women can ask the appeals court to compel prosecution. Their lawyer, Anis Boumanjal, said they were considering whether to pursue that route. Utrecht police chief Yvonne Hondema had already concluded in February that the officer’s actions were appropriate and within the rules.

did not belong in this country

· ComplainantsThe women alleged that the officer made this racist remark, a claim prosecutors said they could not substantiate.
About this summary

Originally published by NRC Handelsblad in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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