The Blind Spot (Dode Hoek)

You'll survive, Dries. It'll be fine.

There's only one police chief as far as I'm concerned, you.

Things won't be the same without you. - Need a hankie? Eh?

Aren't you going to wear the Hugo Boss? - No, give it back to Hugo.

He wore the same jeans and socks when he became police chief.

How do you know? You were still in Morocco then. On a flying carpet. Eh?

Hey. - Three minutes.

Two minutes. - OK.

One minute, Jan.

Come on, Verbeek. Showtime.

You may have noticed that Twitter exploded this afternoon.

It was detonated by the VPV's press conference.

The most popular hashtag, even outdoing pop stars and football players,

is janforpresident.

He is giving us his very first political interview.

Ladies and gentlemen, worshipped by some, vilified by others,

here is the Police Chief, or should I say former Police Chief,

of Antwerp Drugs Squad, Jan Verbeek.

Mr Verbeek. Welcome. - Thank you.

Take a seat. Shall we first take a look at exactly what happened this afternoon?

Good afternoon, everyone. Nice of you to come. Uh...

I'd like to introduce you to Jan Verbeek and I'll hand you straight to him.

Thank you very much. Tomorrow morning I am handing in my resignation from the police.

And am doing so in order to stand for parliament for the VPV.

Jan will be given the second seat in the Chamber.

Jan Verbeek entering politics, I didn't see that coming.

Did you read my book? - I did. I ploughed through it.

Then surely it's not that much of a surprise?

What Has To Change. - Yes, that's it.

So exactly what has to change, Mr Verbeek?

A lot of things. It, uh... turned into a thick book, almost 500 pages.

An awful lot of things need to change in this country.

Many have gone before you, Mr Verbeek. - True. When I first became police chief

I said I was going to clean up Antwerp

and people had a lot to say about that then too.

We're now ten years down the road and the results speak for themselves.

Yes, but you and your unit are behind

more than 6,000 years of prison sentences for drugs of fences.

That seems an impressive number but actually I think it is far too few.

Explain.

Look. Our legal system isn't working as it should and that's putting it mildly.

Criminals are protected. The police are facing increasing accusations.

We need to be rigorous and simply abolish the Lejeune law on parole. Get rid of it.

Yes, but... - Another question that arises,

especially now, is whether we are all prepared to forego some of our freedom

in order to live longer. A very important question we need to ask ourselves.

One of the recurring criticisms heard,

including following publication of your book, is that what you say is racist.

Dries?

Inspector Dries Ben Haisa, my right-hand man and trusted friend.

Ben Haisa. At the back of the throat. Haisa. Next question.

In Antwerp someone of Moroccan descent is ten times more likely

to be stopped and searched on the street by your officers.

If we discovered tomorrow that most of the drug dealing is in the hands of

women in fur coats from Brazil, I'd have them stopped and searched more often too.

Right. Thank you for speaking to us, Mr Verbeek.

What made the most impression on me is that you are very ambitious but I must say

a couple of passages scared me rather.

But never mind. Tomorrow we have... - Hold on, hold on.

I scare you, Mr Heyvaert? I scare you? - Yes, there are...

I think we live in two different worlds. - I think...

No, I'm going to ask you a question. - The interview is over...

May I ask you one more question? Do you think everything is fine in this country?

Do you? Because if you do, then I'm off home to take up cooking.

For the past ten years I've devoted myself to ensuring your safety,

your children's, your grandchildren's. - I think...

Let me finish. I know the streets. I've been shot twice.

I know... Hold on a moment. It's not... it's not me you should be scared of.

There are others you should perhaps be scared of. One more thing.

I will still devote myself

to guaranteeing your safety, your children's and your grandchildren's.

That is my aim. That's what I intend to do.

Our time is up. Thank you for talking to us, Mr Verbeek.

Tomorrow there will be another Word Against Word. See you then.

Mr Jan Verbeek. - My big boss is here.

So how did it feel? Your first interview as a politician.

It went well. It went very well. - Keep going, eh? What did I tell you?

The way our baseline shifted... - Baseline? Jan is our baseline.

The militants are going crazy.

Prepare for an amazing reception at our election congress the day after tomorrow.

You're expected at the radio station now. - Let me introduce you. My colleague Ruud.

Hello. Respect. - And that is Dries. Inspector Dries.

Mr Hendrickx, it's an honour to meet you. I've always voted for you.

Duty calls. We're voting for Jan Verbeek. Mr Jan Verbeek.

Jan Verbeek. Yeah.

Uh, Jan Verbeek, technically, you are still our chief for a few hours.

True? - Yes, why?

My informer called. A lab.

They make a type of MDMA, an advanced kind, ten times as strong.

Where?

We'll soon find out, it's this evening. Guess who his contact is?

Ozgür. - Are you serious?

Ozgür fucking Karagüs. This evening. A present for you.

Our present. - It's my present.

Ours. - It's my informer.

Doesn't matter whose present it is.

What do you reckon? - One last time? Eh? Once a cop...

BLIND SPOT

Can you confirm that Ozgür is in the car? - Definitely.

He's driving. They're taking the E17.

OK, chief. What do we do? Stop them? - Negative. Follow them.

And if they leave our sector?

Have we got tucking authority or not? - OK.

What do you reckon, Brussels or Charleroi?

Charleroi. - Charleroi.

That's what happens when you leave it to Ruud. A Walloon informer.

Hey, Jan, which is worse, a junkie or a Walloon?

A Walloon. You can recover from an addiction!

Dries?

Johan, turn your lights off.

Dries, where are you?

Dries?

Now what? - Wait.

It's OK. They've stopped.

Where? - Rue Picard 56.

Look it up. How many are there? - 4. Plus the Walloon informer. That's 5.

No, no, that's 4 1/2.

Come on, you pansies, stop playing cards.

Radios on 3? - Yes.

YES. - YES.

Ruud, you're coming with me. Johan, with Dries and the rest. Lads.

It's my last evening. It's my party. And Ozgür is my present. OK?

OK. - Come on, let's get him.

First floor, clear.

Two dead ground floor, chief.

Don't move. Hands where we can see them.

Clear.

Jan, he's OK, he's my informer. He's OK. - Is he that Walloon?

OK?

And? - Nothing.

What d'you mean? - No drugs, no lab. Nothing.

And Ozgür? - He's gone.

Gone? Where is Ozgür, Johan? - Don't know. We've searched everywhere.

Don't make excuses. - It's not an excuse.

Nice mess we're in. How do you think I am going to explain this? Eh?

Five dead, no drugs, no lab and no fucking Ozgür.

Nice party. Thanks. No, no. Thanks. Nice present. Thanks.

Sorry... - Shut up.

Good thing I didn't bring all the media with me.

Search them. Till you find something. - There's nothing.

I don't care. Search till you find something.

Jan, we're... - Ruud...

Search till you find something. OK?

OK.

Dries?

Nothing.

Hands up. Don't move! - Hands up.

Up high. Everyone hands up.

Up high. You, here. Here.

Here.

Ozgür? Where is Ozgür?

Do you speak French? - No.

English?

What? - Arabic.

Look at me. Arabic? Eh? Arabic. Dries?

Do you want to go back to Syria, monkey face? Do you?

We're brothers.

What did he say? - Nothing.

No, chief. - Don't, we'll get nothing out of him.

Where are the drugs? - We're brothers.

I'm not your brother. Look at me. Look at me. Look at me.

I'm not like you. Look at me. - They're illegal immigrants, not...

I'm gone tomorrow. You can do what you like then.

Charleroi police. Dries?

The informer is ours, he's coming with us, to the hospital.

Yeah.

Shall we?

Right. Jan Verbeek, I suspect he is more than just a colleague to you.

Yes, a lot more. Jan is more... - Sorry, just a moment.

Try to speak into the camera when you reply. And start your answer...

It's just for the montage. Start your answer with: For me Jan Verbeek is...

Jan Verbeek is much more than a colleague.

Jan is the only one who gave me a second chance.

Without him I'd be on the street or in hospital or in prison.

I'd have stolen that camera by now.

What? Is that funny?

If it's not funny, then don't laugh. OK? - OK.

Jan is more than my chief. He is like a father to me.

I've heard some people say Jan Verbeek is racist.

He's not. Let me make myself clear, Jan is not a racist. Jan just says it like it is.

It's true the Moroccan community is a source of problems.

You can't deny it. I'm from the Moroccan community myself, I know what it's like.

No. Jan has my vote. I believe in Jan.

OK? Alright?

Thank you. Hold on, one more thing. What is your name?

Dries. - Driss. D R I S S?

No, D R I E S. A Flemish name.

OK.

He really wasn't happy. - Can I...

Oh no. Here we go. - Your attention please.

It is time to hand over a really heavy present.

Oh. - From Ruud for Jan.

I don't believe it. - It has been specially framed...

They thought they'd aimed at his heart. - At his heart.

They didn't know Jan hasn't got a heart. - They didn't know Jan hasn't got a heart.

He hasn't got a heart. - No. Is that the original?

It's the original, framed. - You just chipped it out. Ugly or what?

Yes, but... it is for you. - Yes, true.

There's another present. Dries? - Another one?

Yes, here. Here's another present. - It's like it's my birthday.