Samenvatting

How should the police operate in the media and in public debate? This question has become more urgent since the rise of populism in The Netherlands. The media expect the police to give its views when incidents, riots, shocking crimes etc. happen. But to communicate effectively with the public it’s nowadays not enough to stick to ‘the facts’ and take an independent position above the various parties involved. Doing this is often misunderstood as denying the needs of people suffering from social security problems and not taking them seriously. The author discusses which media strategies the police could adopt to effectively handle security issues and clarify its position in democratic society.