Law Enforcement Dutch - Netherlands

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globetrotter
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Law Enforcement Dutch - Netherlands

Post by globetrotter »

Hello! I am a native English speaker learning Dutch (Netherlands). I work in law enforcement but have realized it is very hard to find law-enforcement-related Dutch phrases with any context, since many of them do not translate directly to Dutch. In the most general way possible, how do I ask to see a driver’s license, registration, and proof of insurance? How do I say “I stopped you because you were speeding,” and “You are free to go”?

These and any other common “cop phrases”, translated, would be greatly appreciated. I don’t have a problem with pronunciation or reading the language, but definitely need to work on my traffic stop Dutch.

Thank you!
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BrutallyFrank
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Re: Law Enforcement Dutch - Netherlands

Post by BrutallyFrank »

If they ask for drivers licence, registration and/or insurance, it's: "Mag ik uw rijbewijs/kentekenbewijs/verzekeringsbewijs zien?"

“I stopped you because you were speeding,”: that's a tricky one. A friend of mine recently told me how friendly American policemen/women are and how unfriendly they are around here. Around here they don't tell you directly you were speeding. They start off with a question: they ASK you how fast you think you were driving. If you were driving too fast, they'll show you the footage they got (at least that's what they do on TV). You can also give a reason why you drove that fast, etc.
It's seldom that they pull you over, because we have enough camera's controlling the highways and some other roads (besides all the mobile patrols). Some streches of highway even have what we call 'trajectcontrole', which means they measure your speed between two control points. If you excess the speed, you'll get a fine in your mailbox.

If you want more phrases translated, give me some English ones and I'll try to find a Dutch equivalent ...
"Moenie worrie nie, alles sal reg kom" (maar hy het nie gesê wanneer nie!)

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globetrotter
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Re: Law Enforcement Dutch - Netherlands

Post by globetrotter »

I think it’s a bit unprofessional to ask how fast you thought you were going; I always say it upfront. “I clocked you going 75 in a 65”, etc. I’m not here to trick you, I’m here to make sure you are staying safe on the road. So if you know an equivalent translation for “I stopped you for driving too fast”, that would be great, because I will use it. Additional phrases I use quite often include:

“I stopped you because”:

-your headlight is out
-your taillight is out
-your brake light is out
-you did not stop at the stop sign/red light
-your vehicle registration is expired
-you were driving in the wrong lane

That pretty much covers 95% of my traffic stops. Thanks again for your help!!
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BrutallyFrank
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Re: Law Enforcement Dutch - Netherlands

Post by BrutallyFrank »

I think that the original idea was to make people aware of how fast they were driving. But a lot of people feel like they're being treated like children. Because of the manner in which they are approached, it's very important to hit the right tone ... problem is: a police officer is not an actor! The whole procedure should be clear, regardless who or how the message is delivered.

“I stopped you because”:

Ik heb u aan de kant gezet, omdat ... OR Ik heb u doen stoppen, omdat ... ('omdat' may be replaced by the more formal 'vanwege' but then the sentences below would be a bit different)

-your headlight is out
omdat uw voorlicht stuk/kapot is.

-your taillight is out
omdat uw achterlicht stuk/kapot is.

-your brake light is out
omdat uw remlicht stuk/kapot is OR niet functioneert (this last one is used, because it's not function all the time)

-you did not stop at the stop sign/red light
omdat u niet stopte voor het stopbord AND u door rood licht reed (they never talk about what they didn't do, but about what they did: running the red light)

-your vehicle registration is expired
omdat uw kentekenbewijs is verlopen.

-you were driving in the wrong lane
This is a tricky one: I'm not sure we use the lanes the way Americans do. Here you only drive in the wrong lane when you keep using the left lane unnecessarily and keep others from overtaking. If you have to address it, it's sth like: omdat u te lang links bleef rijden.

Tailgating is a bigger problem: omdat u aan het bumperkleven was.
"Moenie worrie nie, alles sal reg kom" (maar hy het nie gesê wanneer nie!)

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