03 Dec Day with the Neighborhood Policeman

Rik turns on his siren, and with a combination of quick and calm movements, he steers his car off the bike path and onto the roundabout, taking it in the opposite direction. We speed toward the scene of the accident.

“You can stay in the car or come along,” Rik says as he parks on the center berm. “Sometimes it’s intense—just observe.” An ambulance is already on the scene.

A woman lies motionless on the ground next to her bike. There’s no visible blood. Nearby, a car sits at an angle, clearly the cause of the accident. Inside the car, a woman sits trembling, occasionally putting her hands to her face, her whole body shaking.

Helping at the Scene
The ambulance staff approaches the woman on the ground. They consult briefly before pulling out a stretcher. A second paramedic moves to assist the shaking woman in the car. Meanwhile, Rik observes the accident site, studying how it occurred and directing traffic. The injured woman is carefully placed on the stretcher and taken to the ambulance. Family members of the injured woman soon arrive. The driver’s daughter also shows up, visibly distraught. The police lead both the driver and her daughter to the roadside, near where I’m standing, while Rik moves the car.

“Calm down, Mom, calm down,” the daughter says, her voice thick with emotion. Not knowing what else to do, I suggest gently, “Let your mom express herself—it has to come out. Maybe just put an arm around her.” The daughter does so, and the mother looks at me with gratitude.

At the AZC
The ambulance staff informs the injured woman’s family that her condition isn’t too serious. She’s taken to the hospital for further checks, but they expect she’ll be home soon. “Come on,” Rik says. “Our work here is done. Let’s head to our next appointment.” I’m shadowing Rik for the day—he’s a neighborhood policeman in a medium-sized city. He participated in the training Stress-Free Working with Time Surfing, which I regularly teach to the police force in the Eastern Netherlands. “You’ll see what a typical day looks like for us,” Rik had told me earlier, “and you can use it as an example in your training.” Our next stop is a monthly consultation at an asylum seekers’ center (AZC). Rik shows me around one of the units. “Look,” he says, “this is the shared living room for the residents of this house. And here are the bedrooms.” Each of the three bedrooms houses several asylum seekers. Seeing how many people must live in such tight quarters, it’s easy to understand how tensions might arise.

Fear and Home Visits
In the afternoon, we visit a woman who is being harassed by her ex-partner despite a court ruling against him. She greets us kindly, but you can feel the undercurrent of fear. Her son sits on her lap, a silent witness to her distress. By the end of the day, Rik’s notebook is full of notes and agreements he’s made. As we stand by the car, I reflect on the day. I’m struck by how calm Rik has remained throughout every situation and by the empathy he brings to his interactions. Yet, I can see how high the pressure must feel, even under his composed exterior. It’s not just about time pressure—it’s about processing the emotional weight of each incident.

Emotional Processing
I feel privileged to have had this glimpse behind the scenes. The training Stress-Free Working with Time Surfing can be applied to any profession because its principles are universal. However, I tailor its focus to each audience. For police officers like Rik, the ability to switch quickly between tasks while retaining information is crucial. Their schedules are often disrupted by urgent, ad hoc situations, leaving other tasks unfinished.

*This post has been automatically translated from Dutch