De Mesenstraat in the social residential area ‘t Park in Wervik. Twenty years ago a nice neighborhood, now a true nightmare for some inhabitants. Especially at night: banging on the door, drug needles on the floor, but also graffiti on the walls and doors. It is no longer nice to live, some even doubt to move because nothing about the situation changes.
Resident M. does not dare to sleep anymore without locking her door. She reacts emotionally when we ask her what it’s like to live in the neighborhood. “I am completely under stress. I have been living here for 22 years now, it used to be very pleasant. Now I would rather move. They ring at night, bang the door, call on the street. This week there were still bags of bread in my garden. There is often waste thrown in my garden by unknown people.”
City councilor Sanne Vantomme of N-VA map the problem on Tuesday at the city council. For Mayor Youro Casier it is a known problem. “In Wervik we have to say that in recent years we have received an upset of substance use. It goes beyond drugs, including alcohol.”
“In the meantime we have passed this on to the police, there is increased supervision, more checks are being carried out. We also have a mobile camera that we have placed in the area. We hope to scare certain people. But a camera does not always scare the reality,” says Casier.
On September 23, the city is together with the police and housing company Impuls to discuss the problem. Local residents mainly ask for a permanent camera.