Put an end to street intimidation in the city. That is what the municipality of Tilburg wants. With prevention, so -called ‘Safe Spaces’ (safe places) at events and since this month with extra powers for extraordinary investigating officers (BOAs). From April, Boas in the city of Boetes are allowed to write off for sexual street intimidation. Yet the catching perpetrators appears to be difficult. “I hope we get more tools in the future.”
“Street intimidation was first a task for the police, but with this pilot, BOAs are also allowed to act against that,” says the team leader who runs the project. Ultimately, it is intended that specially trained boas will surveillance without uniform at notorious places in the city, such as the Wilhelminapark, in order to catch perpetrators.
“At all municipalities that participate, only a process has been made verbally so far.”
It is easy that so far not yet at the other participating municipalities. “At all municipalities that participate in the pilot from the start, only a official official has been launched so far. That indicates how difficult it is to determine this criminal offense.”
“It is often found to be normal, but that is not the intention,” adds a BOA. She has often had to deal with unwanted comments, both during and outside work. “If I walk with a colleague who also had the course, we will discuss after a service that we could have intervened on some things.”
“In retrospect, some comments could have been possible to court.”
Although she can take a beating herself, the course about the new way of acting has also given insights into her private situation. “In retrospect, some comments could have been possible to court.”
What does the pilot entail?
Thanks to the pilot, Boa’s processes can make verbally and write off when someone is caught red -handed on sexual street intimidation, such as nafluiting or making unwanted, sexually tinted comments.
The pilot with the extra powers had been running in other cities such as Rotterdam, Utrecht and Arnhem for a while. Heerlen, Dordrecht, Almere and Tilburg have been added since April. The test runs until the summer of 2026. Then it must become clear what it has yielded.
Bumps on the road
“It is important that it happens red -handed, otherwise we can’t do anything with it,” says De BOA. “Then it will be one he says/she says story. We must have heard what the person said. “The team leader thinks that more extra powers are needed to tackle the problem properly.” If someone makes comments and then touches someone, something is quickly assaulting. Our powers stop there and we have to call in the police. ”
He does think that the pilot is a step in the right direction. “It is also not that we only want to issue fines, our largest means is our mouth.” The boa also agrees. “It is usually more effective to start the conversation with someone to make it clear that this is not possible.”
Prevention
Sexual street intimidation has long been a thorn in the eye of the municipality. For example, since 2021 a hotline has been opened for victims of street intimidation. There was also an installation in the Willem II passage that people are to create awareness and there was a special one last carnival safe space Open where no fewer than nine victims came to tell their story.
Also at upcoming events such as the Tilburg fair, the theme is again high on the agenda. “We will probably go there again safe space Set up for people who need it, “says a spokesperson for the municipality. By that time, the BOAs are also going to surveillance more often on street intimidation.
