On January 1, 2005, a general identification requirement took effect in the Netherlands. Every resident must be able to provide proof of identity whenever a police officer asks for it. Officers must have a good reason for doing so, but "preserving public order" is, according to the new law, reason enough. And that is a very vague concept.
The police are not always your best friends. In countries where an ID law has been in place for a while, people of color and "alternative" young people are asked for their papers disproportionately often. It is intrusive and demeaning to have to show your papers just because you come from another part of the world or because you have chosen a different lifestyle.
We must prevent "overeager" civil servants from misusing their new responsibilities in the Netherlands. We can no longer do anything about the new law, but there is something else we can do.
Police officers are also legally required to identify themselves whenever you ask them to.
