“Boekel is a small community. This has a lot of impact,” says mayor Caroline van den Elsen. She was informed by the police on Wednesday about the violent event in her village. A child was stabbed to death in a house on Dotterbloem and a second child was seriously injured. The mother of the boy and the girl died after she crashed into a truck in Wilbertoord.
“You can imagine that this event has a major impact on our community. Especially when a family with young children is involved. Everyone has something to do with the family. The children are at school or in a sports club. This event makes a deep impression on the residents of Boekel,” says mayor Caroline van den Elsen.
The mayor has expressed her condolences to the relatives. “We then looked at how we can do something for the people around those directly involved. How can we support them? Who will do what?”
“You get questions that you can’t answer yet.”
The mayor also visited the neighborhood where the house is located on Wednesday. “The local residents reacted with sadness and disbelief. You get questions that you can’t answer yet. That’s quite difficult.”
For Van den Elsen it was nice to know what was going on in the neighborhood. She was asked questions such as “How do I tell my children? What is important to us? What can we expect from the police?” On Wednesday evening, the municipality held a meeting for residents where people could express their grief. They were also told how the schools would pay attention to the sad event.
“A lot of things go through your mind before you fall asleep.”
The event had also made a deep impression on Van den Elsen. “It was intense. As mayor you also receive all the information about what may have happened. When you get home, a lot of things are going through your head before you can go to sleep.”
The mayor does not yet know what the coming days will look like. “There are many parties involved with whom we want to sit down around the table. What can we still do in the field of aftercare? How do we coordinate this? There is also contact between the schools and the handball club. Let’s continue the training to continue or not?”
The mayor encourages everyone. “I wish everyone a lot of strength. Both the people who are closely connected to the family and the people who are currently dealing with a number of things in the neighborhood. I hope that everyone will call on the help we have available for this.”