“We think it’s really great. We think that with this series of measures we have almost solved the problems in the village.” It should be clear: village chairman Wim Katoen van Nieuw-Weerdinge is more than relieved.
Yesterday mayors Eric van Oosterhout (Emmen) and Jaap Velema (Westerwolde) spoke with State Secretary Eric van der Burg about the continuing nuisance caused by asylum seekers in the village. Both mayors returned home with a number of firm promises and far-reaching powers under their arms.
The village has been burdened with nuisance for some time, mainly by safelanders. These are asylum seekers who have little or no chance of obtaining a residence permit. Currently, a group of around two hundred safe-landers is staying in the asylum seekers’ center in the neighboring village of Ter Apel. Residents and the village council are fed up with the nuisance in the form of burglaries, thefts and intimidation and insisted on additional measures more than once.
The municipality of Emmen then increased the deployment of the police and boas and deployed street coaches who held the group accountable for their behaviour. The problem was that the measures only helped to a limited extent, says Katoen. “During the day it helped somewhat, but in the night hours, after the departure of all supervisors, the nuisance continued. Recently there was another raid in the village.”
The village council continued to insist on far-reaching measures. Because the problems persisted, the two mayors in The Hague decided to seek redress. And that was not for nothing. Refugees who have no chance of obtaining a residence permit are now deported within a few weeks.
Area bans can even be imposed in consultation with the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA). The Marechaussee can also be flown in for extra supervision or enforcement. The COA has also promised to compensate damage caused by asylum seekers from the application centre.
Cotton is happy with the package of measures. “I expect that we will notice the effect within a short time.” According to him, the big advantage is that the group of asylum seekers must be available 24 hours a day for questioning in connection with the settlement of their asylum application. “As a result of which they cannot actually leave the azc grounds.”
Anyone who does that will not help their cause, expects Katoen. The point is that the group of ‘wheel turners’ will not soon show its face in the village, thinks the village chairman. “The village has continued to put pressure and that is now paying off.”
State Secretary Van der Burg will visit the village before the summer to discuss the additional measures. Cotton: “With everything that has been agreed so far, we expect it to work out.” The actions taken so far are insufficient and frustrations are mounting among residents.
Mayors Van Oosterhout and Velema have again urged the rapid introduction of the so-called distribution law. Refugees may have to sleep outside the fences of the azc again because of the expected influx. According to both mayors, the distribution law can help distribute the safe residents more evenly across our country.