City cops told to smarten up

20 January 2006

AMSTERDAM — Piercings, visible tattoos, messy hair and unpolished shoes will be ‘out’ this season – indeed every season, at least among Amsterdam police.

The city’s scruffy cops have got to smarten themselves up, police chief Bernard Welten said in an interview in HP / De Tijd magazine published on Wednesday.

“How can you control your surroundings and talk about being civil if you yourself look uncivilized?” said Welten, promising to reveal his full plans for a smarter police force at a meeting soon.

These will include short, neat hair (worn up for long-haired women PCs) and well-polished shoes. Very overweight crime-busters will be strongly encouraged to eat better and get fitter.

Welten had previously had a smartness offensive with successful results in Groningen, where he was police chief before coming to Amsterdam. His first act was to put mirrors in the locker rooms with the text: ‘This is how the citizen sees you.’

The Amsterdam police union (APV) thinks the idea is sound. A smart appearance is good for recognition, said a spokesman.

Subject: Dutch news