Two years ago, Basic Team De Copen launched an innovative pilot: a 13-week HTV internship where students – as sworn special enforcement officers (boa) – had the opportunity to experience police work up close. They participated in real shifts, worked with police systems, and performed tasks such as recording reports, neighborhood investigations, controls, and witness statements.
The pilot proved highly successful. No less than 80 percent of the students became enthusiastic about applying to the police afterwards. The internship also gives them a clear advantage: they pass the selection process more easily and enter their police training at a higher level.

Capacity requires effort and yields great results
Guiding the young students (ages 17 to 21) requires capacity. However, officers notice that this investment pays off handsomely. During the 13 weeks, students take a lot of work off their hands: from recording reports to organizing traffic controls.
Colleagues are also enthusiastic about the collaboration. The students are eager to learn, fit well into the teams, and have become a real breeding ground for future colleagues.

From pilot to unit-wide approach
Where De Copen started with 10–14 students, the program quickly grew. First, Basic Team Lekpoort joined, next year also Basic Team Stichtse Vecht De Ronde Venen from the West-Utrecht district, and the districts of East Utrecht and Gooi & Vechtstreek have also joined.
The internship – unique in the Netherlands – was fully developed within the basic team. HTV students are deployed as BOA in areas such as Intake & Service, BTR, detainee tasks, and the regional service center. There is now nationwide interest in this internship, and the approach is widely seen as a model: in April 2025, the internship was even mentioned in a House of Representatives committee as an exemplary case of successful cooperation between police and education.
On November 17, the cooperation agreement with ROC Midden-Nederland and MBO Amersfoort was renewed, ensuring the programs continuity.

Higher intake rate than regular applicants
The impact of the internship is clearly visible. Of the regular applicants for the level-4 police training, only 1 in 10–12 passes the selection. For HTV interns, that success rate is 25%. Students who do not immediately continue to the training are, where possible, mediated to other functions. This allows them to gain valuable work and life experience to try again later.

Honorable recognition
With the awarding of the ‘Training Company of the Year 2025’ trophy, Basic Team De Copen receives a wonderful recognition for the commitment, guidance, and development of this unique internship form.