Police in Zeeland and in the Zaanstreek-Waterland region north of Amsterdam only dealt with emergency calls on Wednesday as officers took part in the first of a series of strikes in support of their pay claim.

Police forces in other areas will take industrial action follow later this week and a national strike has been called for the end of the month.
Home affairs minister Guusje ter Horst has offered the police a 5.75% pay rise over two years and a €100 bonus for officers at the top of their scale.
The NPB police union wants 3.3% a year as well as help with healthcare costs and better rates for irregular hours. The ACP union, meanwhile, is calling for a €200 monthly increase across the board.
On Tuesday the minister again invited union representatives to return to the negotiating table, saying there was some room to manoeuvre.
Unions say this shows pressure must be increased. ACP spokesman Gerrit van de Kamp told NOS tv that plans to do so are being made. ‘We cannot guarantee to always be so public-friendly,’ he said.
According to the AD newspaper, union chiefs are planning to stop processing theft and vandalism reports on Sundays and may also bombard MPs with email messages.
Since last month police officers have stopped handing out fines for minor offences. NOS reports that that campaign is already having an affect. For example, the number of fines for cycling through red lights are down by 30%, it says.