De Gelderlander, 21 November 2014: 'What if you look like a criminal?'

“The agreement between hardware stores and police in the Valley on the exchange of images showing customers buying certain tools is causing a lot of, mostly negative reactions. Four views in a row:

Staff lawyer Willem Jan Ausma, Utrecht:

"I think the measure goes very far. It increases the aversion to the police a lot. You are stigmatised and so, as a person known to the police, you can no longer buy a tool normally without being harassed.

So what if you look like a criminal? Besides, it's a bogus measure. We can sleep easy, the police seem to be saying. But the measure is easy to circumvent."

Peter Veldman, D66 Wageningen group chairman:

"We are not happy with this. We feel that if you are in a shop to do shopping, the police should not be watching. Privacy is paramount. Of course, there are cameras now, but they are only watched when something happens. Soon, we will be visiting the police in Wageningen with councillors. We will ask questions about this then."

Vincent Böhre, Privacy First Foundation:

"We are struggling with this. Of course, we understand that the police want to combat burglaries. After all, crimes like burglaries are also a major invasion of privacy. But we don't think the private sector should become an extension of the police. The question is whether this does not set a precedent for all kinds of other shops where customers are being watched. And where before you were only a criminal if you had actually done something, now every customer seems to be treated as a potential criminal."

René de Leeuw, assistant store manager Praxis Ede.

"We did not expect these negative reactions. I also think it's a bit over the top.

People who have nothing to hide really need not be afraid. And there are cameras everywhere, right? If we had known this in advance we would have participated anyway. Anything we can do against burglaries is a bonus. The impact of a burglary is often enormous. People sometimes have to buy completely new hardware. Something like that has a real impact."

Source: De Gelderlander, 21 November 2014.