50 years of Traffic Police 1962 - 2012
Fifty years ago, Kees Vogel was commissioned to establish and expand a national traffic service. This honorable assignment was the result of a ministerial decision to decisively tackle the greatly increased road unsafety on the main road network at a national level.
Development of traffic surveillance and traffic guidance
Halfway through the last 50 years, Kees Vogel (former Commander of the General Traffic Service) recounts the following in 1987. After a stormy start, during which the young service not only had to prove its ability to meet the Minister's expectations but also had to carve out a place for itself within the national police system, the time of consolidation arrived. Traffic gradually entered less emotionally charged waters. The car had become commonplace, and road users had learned to live with the consequences of modern mobility. Furthermore, good consultation with the road authority proved over the years to lead to safety-enhancing measures that had a beneficial effect.Also other tasks
Other matters demanded the attention of both politicians and the operational police services; the fight against terrorism, dealing with hijackings and hostage situations, crime, and the rapidly increasing violence demanded ever greater attention. This period of declining interest in traffic led to internal tensions within the General Traffic Service, which we have, however, overcome. The national service has adapted and is closing a period that we can all look back on with pride and a touch of melancholy. The policy initiated in the early 1980s is now beginning to bear fruit. In addition to the expansion of the Support Group into a highly qualified facilities company for the national and municipal police forces, the outlines of a national police communication system are now clearly visible. It was to be expected that the communications center incorporated into the AVD organization at the time would be able to play an important role in this.
Project-based approach
With regard to traffic duties on the main road network, ideas are also being developed to achieve a more project-based approach, in which activities are partly aimed at the quality of drivers and vehicles, as well as the manner of transport of persons and goods. In this area too, the emphasis will be on providing facilities to competent police forces and other services.Man with vision
Kees Vogel, the then Commander of the AVD, was convinced that 'his' General Traffic Service could start the next 25 years with confidence and would be able to make a valuable contribution to the proper functioning of the police as a whole. Because I myself have been able to contribute my fair share to the rapidly developing organization for forty years, with a sense of pride, I can assure everyone that he was right.A personalized stamp
I visited Kees just recently. He will soon reach the respectable age of 84. We had a lovely and very pleasant afternoon. We talked a lot about the past, but also about the present. At one point, he suddenly became enthusiastic about my hobby. That gave me the idea—even though I am a 'bicycle enthusiast'—to create a very special personal stamp depicting the very first Porsche convertible, the surveillance car from the early days of the AVD (a 356 for the connoisseur), in which Kees Vogel himself also patrolled during the period when the Special Traffic Tasks Section still existed. I have since presented Kees with the first sheet of commemorative stamps. He thinks it is particularly nice!
The first response in my inbox:
Super fun campaign and call! Thank you..
(in my mailbox) Dear Jan,
A great stamp, a nice piece about the AVD.
I have just added it to the list for inclusion in the next DIGITALEX. That way, it reaches well over 600 AVD enthusiasts once again.
Nice, nice, nice, all of it.
Kind regards, Lex Goumare,
AVD archivist.
Great, Jan! And this is also a call to all police officers to start collecting stamps as well. A hobby that brings peace to an already hectic life!
Given your past, you are forgiven for this car stamp, Jan! Another nice article.
'@ Toon, Indeed, all (former) police officers can be triggered by this article to start a stamp collection. Let it happen!!
@ Gerko, As a bicycle enthusiast, I 'had' to make this quick trip :-). I must also say that I really enjoyed it. A change of regret! 🙂
(from my mailbox) Hello Jan van Tellingen. Wonderful article about the AVD on Postzzgelblog! I myself was an executive volunteer with the National Police from October 1978 until the merger with the Municipal Police in 1994.
Picturesque Rozenburg ZH was, in fact, a municipality that had a State Police.
The Rozenburg Land Group under the Dordrecht district. That was a wonderful time.
On January 1, 2012, I retired from police work at the age of 70.
Now for the personalized stamps. Interesting sheet with those stamps.
Regards: Jan Oosterboer, Rozenburg ZH.
Nice article, Jan! As a police philatelist, I have naturally already ordered a sheet from you. The payment has been transferred. It's no problem that you fold the sheet. I'll be separating the stamps anyway. Good luck with your work. Willem
(in my mailbox) Hi Jan,
Kees and I think your collection is amazing! And all the info too …
Greetings, Marion
That article about the traffic police is great. Wasn't there a bicycle brigade within the police force in the past? A stamp of that would be right up your alley. For example, a Fongers bicycle as the image. The material being sought for the traffic police could be traffic tickets. (This is meant as a joke, not exactly a knee-slapper!) Following the instructions, I will most certainly order a sheet of this special stamp. Once again, my compliments on the article. Kind regards, Cor Lindgreen
'@ Willem, you are the first to receive a used Traffic Police stamp. A nice addition to your collection.
@ Cor, I'll take a look at Willem's articles to see if he has bikes too 🙂
Beautiful article, in which a former employee of a service expresses his full respect and appreciation for the life's work of a superior.
Where do you still find this in this day and age?
It is also evident from this that the author of the article has always performed his work with full dedication and pleasure.
(in my mailbox)
Bye Jan
I have posted your articles under KLPD news on the VVG website. I am also forwarding your email to Arie Honders. It might also be interesting for the KLPD intranet for working colleagues.
Very nice promotion.
Kind regards
Kees Drost, Association of KLPD Retired Employees
@ Jan: I have received the sheet. In “real life” the stamp looks even better than on this blog. The Post-NL cancellation was also good, so I am a satisfied police philatelist.
@ Willem, really nice to read! A beautiful addition to your collection, then.
Can it get any uglier? Is all that white “functional” white?
I was recently at an exhibition in Indonesia where entries featuring the official (!!!) personal stamps of the Netherlands were removed, or I was asked to take the stamps in question out of the exhibition because they are not generally available (except for extra administrative/shipping costs via PostNL!). PostNL is ruining the fun of collecting for us this way.
'@Hans, if this is your way of letting us know that you have been to Indonesia, then ……… 🙁
'@Jan, when I look at the stamp, the first thing that comes to mind is: “A glimpse into bygone times”. And I think that aligns beautifully with the reason why you created the stamp. Beautiful!!
@Jacqueline, what a miraculously beautiful, well-thought-out vision for the 'design'. You are absolutely right, because I need to reorder!