Presentation to police on safe combat sports events

This week the VA (Nederlandse Vechtsportautoriteit, the Dutch combat sports authority) was a guest at an events meeting of the police Regional Unit The Hague (Regionale Eenheid Den Haag) to discuss the organisation of combat sports events. The aim was to exchange knowledge in order to continue working together on safe galas and tournaments.

One of the VA's tasks is to work towards safe combat sports events. We do this together with promoters and covenant partners, but also with municipalities and the police. VA director Farid Gamei was a guest in Gouda this week at an events meeting within the Regional Unit The Hague. Those present included the event advisers of Gouda, Alphen aan den Rijn and Leiden. Gamei explained what the combat sports sector has done in recent years to achieve safe events, and what the role of the VA is. The police specialists, in turn, were able to put questions to him and ask for advice. The aim of this consultation is to have combat sports events organised as well and as safely as possible.

For some police officers, supervising combat sports events is familiar territory because they are already in regular contact with the VA. Colleagues who deal with events less often are sometimes not yet aware that promoters and municipalities use the Guidance on municipal policy for combat sports events (Handreiking gemeentelijk beleid vechtsportevenementen), which sets out the requirements that events must meet according to the VA.

Good consultation can prevent problems, both for the municipality and the police and for the promoter. The better the cooperation, the smaller the chance that the promoter will encounter resistance when organising an event. It is therefore in the interest of both society and the combat sports sector that knowledge is exchanged regularly between the sector and the authorities.