Wijkbureau (District Office) Karnebeek,
Burgemeester Patijnlaan 35, 2585 BG Den Haag,

070 424 17 60

www.politie.nl/Haaglanden/Bureaus

SMS-Alert comes to Archipel & Willemspark

By signing up to the SMS-Alert campaign to be launched in Archipel & Willemspark in March 2010, you can provide the police with extra eyes and ears in their fight against crime.

So far 26,000 citizens in various districts in The Hague area have registered and receive SMS messages about, among other things, confidence tricksters, missing children, break-ins, street robberies and the loss of dangerous medicines in your neighbourhood.

The number of police SMS messages received per week will vary depending on the number of incidents. Most messages will be sent during normal hours, only when exceptional situations arise will you be SMSed late at night.

No charges

SMS messages received from the police will not be charged, although some providers may require a modest fee for registering with SMS-Alert or when you receive messages abroad.

A typical police SMS will look something like this:

Politiebericht: Inbreker actief op donderdagen 12-17 uur, blanke man, ca. 30 jaar, donker haar, lange bruine jas, zwarte tas. Bel bij informatie naar 0900-8844 of bij spoed naar 112. Afzender Politie Haaglanden.

(Police message: Burglar active Thursdays between 12-17 hrs, white male, circa 30 years old, dark hair, long brown coat, black tie. Contact 0900-8844 with any information and in an emergency 112. Sent by Politie Haaglanden.)

Burgernet

At some point during 2010-2011 SMS-Alert will become part of a larger network called Burgernet. This will mean that messages can be sent/received by other means, via e-mail for example.

Registration SMS-Alert

Registering is quick and simple. Instructions can be found at www.politie.nl/haaglanden on how to sign up with the Karnebeek brigade:

Select banner >

click on: “aanmelden” > 

“Den Haag” on map > “Bureau Karnebeek” > “aanmeldingsformulier”.

In Step 2 of the form you will be asked to type PHGL your POSTCODE and your HOUSE NUMBER into your mobile phone, e.g. PHGL2585TJ4. You will then receive confirmation of your registration.

Questions?

Ring SMS-Alert and Burgernet 070-4243394. Consultations via the telephone are possible every Tuesday between 10.00 and 12.00. You can also e-mail to SMS-Alert@haaglanden.politie.nl

Haaglanden Police

Coordinator SMS-Alert: Jorien Janse, Karnebeek Station

Police warn about break-ins during the winter months

December 2009 – Research shows that around 60% of house burglaries last year took place during the “dark" months October to March. As well as an increase in the number of crimes, there was also a shift in the time of day they take place: in the evening instead of the afternoon. Hence the launch of the publicity campaign “Licht zet inbrekers in het zicht” (light exposes burglars) to make residents aware of the higher risk of break-ins.

Lighting

As part of the campaign, attention is focused on basic deterrents like lights, inside and outside, time switches and neighbourhood surveillance. Police officers will be visiting residential areas and whenever they encounter a home in darkness, they will ring the doorbell or put a folder in the letterbox. Making sure there is a clear view of all points of access to homes will make it easier for neighbours to keep an eye on each other’s properties and make it more difficult for burglars: the more exposed they are to view, the less likely they are to attempt to break-in. 

See something suspicious? Report it!

Residents are encouraged to be alert and to report any suspicious behaviour or strangers taking a special interest in any particular property by calling the emergency number 112. Do not hesitate. Timely descriptions of loiterers and their vehicles can be extremely useful to the police in apprehending these criminals.

Construction work at Police Headquarters

Update excavation work in front of Police Headquarters Patijnlaan
 
1 March 2010 – Work has started on excavation of the stretch of grass in front of Police Headquarters on Burgemeester Patijnlaan.

Work involves the laying and connection of pipe mains from the two collection points into the building. The tanks that will line the collection pits are also waiting to be placed in position, which means a further operation and the connection of cables.

Once the work has been completed, the pumps will at some point be installed. It seems likely that everything will be back to normal at the end of March. So if all goes to schedule – just in time to sow seed for a new lawn before spring.

Kind regards,

Laura van ‘t Hek
Haaglanden Police 

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Overview work schedule
The work so far:
Week 45

• deployment of equipment for initial excavation

Week 46

• excavation of first collection source

Week 47

• deployment of equipment for second excavation
• in the weekend of 14/15 November the emergency power generating unit had to be switched on several times. This was totally unexpected and was due to work being carried out on the headquarters electricity supply circuit.

Week 48

• excavation of second collection source completed

Work still to be done:
Weeks 49 - 51

• further work on sources
• the sluicing out of the underground area
• a certain amount of construction equipment will remain on the site

The work is being carried out to install a so-called ASG heating system (Annualized Geo-thermal Solar). It uses the ground under or around a building as a thermal mass to heat and cool the building. A six month thermal lag of about three metres allows the heat or cold to return to the inhabited spaces of the building depending on the time of year. The system is expected to be operational by the summer of 2010.

Ms. Laura van 't  Hek

Stafbureau korpsdirectie
Legal Section

More information about AGS

5th Haagland Police Force Run

in Scheveningen Woods

On Wednesday 7 October 2009 at 12.00 around 130 police officers will take part in the annual Haagland Police Force Run in Scheveningen Woods.

They start and finish on Kapellaan opposite the Roman Catholic Cemetery and run three circuits of the so-called yellow route totalling 7.4 kilometres under the motto: help beat breast cancer with the Force.

All the proceeds from registration fees and donations will go to the Pink Ribbon Charity. A cheque will be presented to a charity representative during the prize-giving ceremony at Police Headquarters.

Local residents are very welcome to come along and cheer the contestants on, but only police officers are eligible to take part.

Sporting greetings,

Your Community Police Officer

Marianne Hoogerbrugge

Archipel & Willemspark community police officers

One job, two people

It’s busy in the reception hall of the police headquarters on Burgemeester Patijnlaan. When two young, well-dressed women walk in, I don’t recognize Yvonne Ipema at first in her civilian clothes: she is one half of our community police officer. She shares the job with Marianne Hoogerbrugge and they have worked together for 5 years.

This will change as of 1 June when Yvonne moves over to the Zeeheldenkwartier and Henk Kentgens takes over from her. It will remain a shared job because Henk is doing a course in integrated security at the Haagse Hogeschool.

Karnebeek Police Station

Three districts are covered by the Karnebeek Police Station: Archipel, Willemspark and the Zeeheldenkwartier. There are 103 employees working at the Station on the groundfloor of police headquarters: uniformed police and civilian administration staff. It seems a lot but the Station is operational round the clock. At least one surveillance vehicle patrols the districts and a total of four community police officers work the streets: Marianne and Yvonne as one full-timer in Archipel&Willemspark.

In-service training takes place every three months in first-aid, self-defence, the use of firearms and training techniques, and there are demanding exams twice a year. An average of six trainees work at the Station and are given specific assignments (see the article on the extra surveillance for illegal cycling in Javastraat). The Scheveningen Woods are patrolled every day for an hour.

The community police officers are the eyes and ears of the neighbourhood and an important factor in identifying sticking points and problems; they are an extension of the districts residents and know what’s going on. When necessary operational duties are stepped up in certain areas to address specific problems and the officers also mediate in disputes between neighbours and provide support with the care of the elderly or people living on their own when they have problems.

(Also see detailed job description.)

Part-timers with full-time experience know contact with residents is important

All three officers have years of policing experience. Yvonne and Henk qualified 20 years ago and Marianne 17 years ago. Office work takes up 40% of their time and the other 60% they spend out and about in the district because contact with the residents is really important. Yvonne can often be seen cruising around on her bike. If people get to know their local police and have confidence in them, they are more inclined to contact them early on when there is a problem. This means that solutions too will be quicker in coming (see article about the stabbing in Malakkastraat last October).

The A&W Residents Association is also a boon as far as this is concerned. Notices from the Station are regularly posted on the Association’s website. One of the officers also regularly attends the Community Committee meetings.

We will miss Officer Yvonne Ipema; she and Marianne Hoogerbrugge were a unique “duo”. But Yvonne is not going too far away and we are getting another committed and enthusiastic police officer in her place.

The Community Police Officers can be reached by telephone at 070 424 17 60

and by e-mail at

marianne.hoogerbrugge@haaglanden.politie.nl

henk.kentgens@haaglanden.politie.nl

Marianne van der Zalm-Waterreus

May 2009

Burglary in Javastraat

After the recent brazen robbery of an elderly woman in the broad section of Javastraat, now this: another break-in (with breakages) to be added to the series of burglaries in Surinamestraat and Javastraat. This time, on the third floor at the rear, in the narrow section of Javastraat between the convenience store and the restaurant Bistro Mer.

It happened on Sunday evening 26 April between 19.30 and 22.30 while the occupiers were out. This is the third break-in at this address in as many years. The previous times the groundfloor was broken into, also at the rear of the property.

27 April 2009 - Hans van Bemmelen

Mallemolen/Javastraat assignment complete

The assignment is complete but the monitoring of offences will of course continue. Surveillance carried out by the police included both Mallemolen and Javastraat. We closely monitored cycling on the pavement and against the flow of traffic. A total of 40 on-the-spot fines were issued. A successful operation all in all!

We would like to thank everyone for their cooperation, the publicizing of our assignment on the website and the friendly and open way we were received by various business proprietors and residents in Mallemolen.

Kind regards,

J. van Oene and S. Veenstra

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Extra surveillance of cyclists using Mallemolen and pavement in Javastraat

 

23 March 2009 – We are students attached to the District Police Station Karnebeek and we would like to inform you about our assignment via the local website.

Our assignment is to identify a problem in the community and draw up a plan of action to deal with it. The pedestrian area in Mallemolen has come to our attention. The warmer weather is on its way, restaurant owners will be setting up their terraces and irritation caused by cyclists whizzing past the diners is expected!

We have also decided to include cyclists using the pavement (in the opposite direction to traffic flow) in the narrow part of Javastraat.

To put it briefly, there will be extra surveillance of this area for a three to four week period starting 23 March! Rogue cyclists will no longer be cautioned and risk on-the-spot fines.

Kind regards,

J. van Oene and S. Veenstra

Report a crime online?

You do not always have to go to a police station to report a crime. There are many instances where you can do this via the Internet.

• Do you want to report (attempted) theft, burglary or vandalism?
• Or has your bike or moped been stolen?

Then this can be done online.

• Has your home has been broken into or has property been stolen from you home?

• Do you want to report the theft of a registered car or boat?
• Have your identity papers been stolen?
• Has a crime has been committed at Schiphol or been discovered on arrival at Schiphol?
• Has a case of shoplifting occurred and the culprit is known?

In these cases you can make a report in the conventional way by contacting the police via 0900-8844 (local tariff) or by going to your local police station.

Policing in the Netherlands

Car in the water: what should you do?

Unfortunately over 800 accidents involving cars in water take place every year. That is why the Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management is running a publicity campaign until  the end of February entitled "Auto te water? Meteen eruit door de ruit!"  (Car in water? Break window and escape!) giving information to car drivers on how to get out of their car as quickly as possible should they end up in a canal or ditch.

Visit special campaignwebsite for more information.

Tracing programme back on TV

The tracing programme returns to Omroep West. The local government of The Hague will help finance this programme, which is the regional equivalent to the TV programme Opsporing Verzocht.

The programme was discontinued because there was no more money. Haaglanden Police was disappoined about this, “We had a lot of viewers and about 25% of cases broadcast were solved with their help”, says Wim Hoonhout and Kees Koppens of the Haaglanden Police.

Mayor Jozias van Aartsen also realized the importance of the programme, so he made funds available. It was the fact that “Team West is not only contributing to the solution of police cases, but it also makes the public more aware and involved with safety in our city and region” that convinced  the Mayor.

The programme will return o n Tuesday 10th or Tuesday 17th of February. Editor-in-chief of Omroep West, Jan van Vegchel, is “extremely happy” with the decision. “The programme is very valuable, it serves a definite purpose”.

It will have a slightly different format, says Van Vegchel. “Attention will not only be paid to tracing people; the focus will be more on safety in general”.

Haaglanden, 29-01-2009

Surinamestraat target for burglars

January 2009 -  Recently there have been two burglary attempts in the Surinamestreet, one successful unfortunately. In both cases the burglars climbed up to one of the higher floors and attempted to enter the house via a window.  Please be aware!
The police have asked us to be sure to let them know in case we notice any 'odd suspects' in the street. Please dial: 0900-8844.

Translation: Dorien de Buck

Criminal investigation reports

Haaglanden Police will be giving special attention to cases on the criminal investigation programme Team West. It can be seen every Tuesday on RTV West at 17.20, 19.30 and 21.30.

If you’ve missed an item or want to have another look at a particular item go to the website.

How safe is our neighbourhood?

Statistics on petty crime for second quarter of 2009 in A&W are shown below.

Figures for all districts of The Hague are available at www.hoeveiligismijnwijk.nl

Source: Archipel - www.hoeveiligismijnwijk.nl                 Willemspark - www.hoeveiligismijnwijk.nl  

2008

What is particularly noticeable about the 'Hoe veilig is mijn wijk' statistics for the whole of 2008 (see table below with figures for Archipel and Willemspark) is that the number of car break-ins in particular are high, and to a lesser extent burgulary of homes and businesses. Bicycle theft and vandalism are still relatively high, although both fortunately are lower than in 2007.

It is reassuring to know that around 60% of all arrests are thanks to reports from the public. If you witness a crime ring the Poliice: in the case of an emergency 112; in all other circumstances 0900-8844; if you wish to remain anonymous 0800-7000.

The Hague Police Newsletter

Via the website of The Hague Police you can subscribe to their newsletter (in Dutch) full of the latest policenews or view it directly.

You can also get information about making your home safer from the newly revamped website featured below.

Police Quality Mark for Safe Homes

The Politiekeurmerk Veilig Wonen website which explains in general terms what the Politiekeurmerk Veilig Wonen is and what the Police Quality Mark for Safe Homes scheme consists of, including certifcation for businesses.

The purpose of the site is team up consumers, councils and corporations with the right Politiekeurmerk Veilig Wonen partners who are cooperating in the scheme. During the coming period the site will be expanded even further with practical examples, concrete results and formulas.

Brochures about the scheme and finding (PKVW) certified local businesses can be downloaded from the website: www.politiekeurmerk.nl/consument

Unveiling of "On the road to peace" monument

A monument entitled "On the road to peace" was unveiled on Monday 11 June outside the police headquarters on Burg. Patijnlaan to mark the occasion of the "Pearls in Policing" congress being held in our "city of justice and peace". The monument is located on the route between Hotel Des Indes (the congress venue) and the Peace Palace.

More photos

Water feature at Police Headquarters

During the open gardens weekend Struinen in Haagse Tuinen (Rooting about in Hague gardens) back in June this year, Caroline Pelsman took loads of photos. She became intrigued by the water feature in the garden of the headquarters of the Haaglanden police. It’s a tantalizing wait to see how long it takes before for the reservoir fills up and the water starts to cascade. The name of the designer remains a mystery.

Anyone know who its is? Mail website@archipelbuurt.nl

Thanks to Annemieke Hof’s quick reaction we now know the name of the designer: Hedda Willem Buijs, beeldend vormgever (conceptual designer).

More of his work can be seen at www.heddabuijs.nl

Job description - community police officer

The basic principle behind the appointment of 'wijkagenten' (community police officers) is to increase the visibility and acknowledgment of police presence on the street. More 'blue' on the streets is therefore the keynote of the policy for community police officers in The Hague. It is important that there is a direct point of contact between the police and the public, and in addition it is essential to police public order in the neighbourhood. The presence of more police officers on the street affords residents a sense of security and helps prevent disputes occurring in the community.

Tasks:
• Play a communicating/alerting role with regard to the public in a particular     neighbourhood, whereby extra emphasis is laid on providing assistance and information.
• Provide extra police presence and involvement in the case of cumulative unrest and public disorder in the community.
• The enforcement (through surveillance and detection) of specific legislation.
• Function as a contact point for the residents of the community.
• Provide advice and expertise on local security incentives.
• Take action in the case of domestic disturbances and medical emergencies.
• Provide advice during the (local government) decision-making process.
• Report on relevant developments in the neighbourhood.
• Conduct criminal investigations particularly in regard to incidents of widespread petty crime in the neighbourhood.
• Provide a presence during large-scale activities or at public performances/demonstrations.
• Supervise colleagues and familiarize them with the community.

These indispensable public servants in our community regularly alert the local residents to specific criminal activity in the neighbourhood and offer advice on how to combat it. The item below about 'Flipperen' is a good example of how they can help us to ensure that our district continues to be a pleasant and safe place to live in.