Education Netherlands Police Academy and German Police University develop joint minor on road traffic Written on Thursday, July 18, 2024 The top police education institutions in the Netherlands and Germany have joined forces to focus on the topic of mobility and the role and function of the police in this context. The German Police University and the Netherlands Police Academy developed a two-week minor, in which ten German and ten Dutch students got their teeth into the topic of the ‘Traffic Turn’: the turn society needs to make in how we deal with changing forms of traffic. The students were supervised by various experts. ‘In the Netherlands we have a culture of cycling. We serve as a benchmark for many countries in that respect’, explains Dirk-Jan de Groot, a lecturer with the Netherlands Police Academy’s Community Policing Team (Team GGP). The Traffic Team is one of the subteams within Team GGP. Dirk-Jan is originally a traffic expert. ‘In Germany, road traffic science is one of the topics in the three-year master’s. We at the Netherlands Police Academy collaborate closely with the German Police University. In the context of that collaboration, our German colleagues approached us two years ago to see whether we might be able to develop an elective minor together on the topic of road traffic.’ Societal demand ‘So we set up a new module together’, Dirk-Jan continues. This was Inclusive Cities. ‘It’s especially in larger cities that we need to change how we get around. At the moment everything still mainly focuses on cars. But we need to move much more towards a bike- and pedestrian-friendly environment.’ ‘On the one hand there’s a political agenda behind this, but it’s also a question of societal demand. The statistics show that cyclists are increasingly often involved in accidents. Looking at this from a policing perspective, this means we need to do more about the topic of cycling road safety. And about changing how people get around: the issue of mobility.’ Police duty by law That policing perspective has a broader focus than merely enforcement. ‘It all comes down to the duties of the police, as set out by law’, Dirk-Jan knows. ‘If a road authority, for instance a municipality or province, wants to adapt the infrastructure at a certain location, it is mandatory for them to obtain advice from the police. So that means that our traffic advisers have to keep up to date with any changes in modalities. And in the different types of traffic: what are the possible benefits and risks of adapting the infrastructure?’ ‘This is why we have the module on ‘Identifying issues and giving advice on traffic infrastructure’. In that module we bring police officers up to date about traffic technology and traffic science. We train them as advisers on traffic safety issues. They learn to deal with road authorities, what their role is in consultations, and how the official etiquette works. This is all handled in the course.’ Just as quick, just as easy Taking a different perspective on traffic is about more than just making cities car-free. Dirk-Jan: ‘That’s just one part of it. People want to be just as mobile, but without a car. So where in the past they could use the car, now they need to be provided with other forms of mobility. This is a hot issue in political circles. But the police haven’t really picked up on it yet.’ ‘People may be perfectly willing to relinquish their cars. But for that to happen, there has to be a high-quality public transport network. And good cycle paths, or cycle highways. There must be a good transport connection from someone’s village to the city where they work. So the same journey will be just as quick, just as easy. This is vital for cities, but also for more rural areas.’ Inviting experts Traffic is a bigger part of the programme in German police education than in the Netherlands. ‘In the German Police University they have seven professors specially for this subject. One of them was involved in teaching our joint minor.’ ‘We in the Netherlands have had a head start. We were already building separate cycle paths back in the 1970s. For us that’s completely normal. So we can explain the various issues we’ve come up against. It’s only when you cycle in another country that you see how good the cycling set-up is in the Netherlands.’ ‘In the end we spent two weeks as guests of the German Police University in Münster. We brought a whole group of experts with us: from the Dutch Cyclists’ Union, for instance, but also the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management’s Light Vehicles Department, and the Dutch Cycling Embassy.’ Bike helmets? The Dutch half of the collaboration had a great deal of knowledge to contribute. But there was plenty on offer on the German side too. Dirk-Jan: ‘A huge proportion of cyclists in Germany wear helmets. That’s something they’ve really nailed there. It’s not compulsory, but they have smart ways to encourage it. In Germany, if you wear a helmet you get a reduction on your insurance and your bike insurance. And schools also encourage pupils to wear helmets.’ ‘There are lots of bicycle patrol officers in the Berlin police. The agreement is that they always wear a helmet, the idea being “we’re the police. People look to us, so we must set a good example”. We discussed the differences between people’s behaviour in Germany and the Netherlands, partly with input from a psychologist.’ High satisfaction ratings In the minor, the ten German and ten Dutch students acquired knowledge from a wide range of different perspectives. ‘They could see this was an issue with high societal relevance. And if it’s relevant for society, it’s relevant for their work. And then they’re really willing to reflect about it. By taking this minor, the participating police officers not only acquired a lot of extra knowledge, but also built up an international network.’ ‘In addition to the lecture materials, they also discussed a large number of different topics. How do you organize this? How do you handle that? The students’ satisfaction ratings for the minor were very high: 95%. I wish all our courses got such high ratings! I hope we can do this next year too: an exchange of knowledge between German and Dutch fellow police officers who were made in the same mould. And sharing that knowledge in our teaching. Joining forces makes us all better police.’