Riot management and community relations: policing public disturbances in a Dutch neighbourhood

Abstract

This paper presents a case study of the riots in the Dutch neighbourhood of Ondiep (Utrecht) that took place after a police officer shot a local resident with fatal consequences on 11 March 2007. It is based on a study carried out by the Police Academy of The Netherlands and the Tilburg School of Politics and Public Administration (University of Tilburg) and its resulting publication: ‘Riots in Ondiep: the onset and engagement of large-scale public disturbances in a disadvantaged neighbourhood of Utrecht’. The research group aimed to establish a reconstruction of the events and circumstances of those riots as experienced by the different parties to the events. This paper gives a brief overview of the events as they occurred with a particular focus on the actions of the Utrecht police department and their safety partners. It is argued that a combination of repressive measures and an emphasis on police–community relations prevented the riots from spreading to the general population of Ondiep, by looking at some of the short and long-term actions, tactics and strategies of the Utrecht police.