One of the most significant moments in my professional life. I had the opportunity to give a lecture on his life's work with regard to public order policing at the Politieacademie's international symposium "Mit aller Gewalt lernen" in honor of Prof. Dr. Otto Adang's retirement. And he is simply one of the forefathers of modern theories, so it was and is an extraordinary honor for me that he chose me for this task. It's a bit like being a fan of Michael Jackson as a child and trying to dance like him - and then being invited by him personally to perform at his farewell. It's amazing!
For over 20 years, I followed in the footsteps of Prof. Dr. Otto Adang, often without knowing it. Not only did I come to the same conclusions, we were often in the same places without knowing it - he as a researcher, I as a riot policeman. Eventually, my first book "The Role of the Police at Assemblies" brought us together, for which he contributed a chapter together with Dr. Martina Schreiber. He then invited me to teach in his "Public Order" module of the Master's program at the Politieacademie - and I was able to learn from the Grand Master himself - in pleasant, constructive, smart and far-sighted discussions over a good Dutch beer.
Thanks to Otto, I was able to structure my numerous practical experiences from over 20 years with the USK (as a group officer, group leader, platoon leader or command leader) or in the preparation, planning and implementation of major operations (G7 2015 and 2022), which I have already lectured on in many European countries as well as in the USA and Canada, even better. According to its principles: Know, Support, Communicate, Differentiate (for more see docbb.de or publicorderpolicing.com ), which really contribute to the success of police work in the context of crowds in an all-encompassing way.