News item | 22-05-2023 | 6:00 PM
More municipalities are being supported by the government in tackling the prevention of juvenile crime. The area-specific preventive approach to prevent young people from becoming serious criminals will be expanded from 15 to 27 municipalities. That is what Minister Yeşilgöz-Zegerius of Justice and Security writes today to the House of Representatives in a semi-annual letter on tackling organized and subversive crime.
Together with Minister Weerwind for Legal Protection, Minister Yesilgöz-Zegerius is investing in a broad approach to prevent children, young people and young adults from coming into contact with crime or growing into it. These investments together add up to a structural amount of 143 million euros per year from 2025. This involves an area-oriented approach by municipalities with all partners involved in the immediate living environment of the young people: from the police, the Public Prosecution Service (OM), the judiciary, the Child Protection Board, the Probation Service, the Halt Foundation, Care and Safety Houses to and with teachers at schools, youth work, youth care, local entrepreneurs and employers.
Last year, the first 15 municipalities started their approach in the neighborhoods where the risk is greatest that young people are recruited for criminal jobs and grow into a career on the wrong path. These are neighborhoods in Amsterdam, Arnhem, Breda, The Hague, Eindhoven, Groningen, Heerlen, Leeuwarden, Lelystad, Nieuwegein, Rotterdam, Schiedam, Tilburg, Utrecht and Zaanstad. With the expansion of the National Liveability and Safety Program (NPLV) last year with Delft, Dordrecht, Roosendaal and Vlaardingen, these four municipalities have also been selected to develop plans to combat youth crime. They can start implementation this year.
On top of this, another eight municipalities are now being asked to make proposals for the preventive approach to youth crime in their neighbourhoods. These are Almere, Enschede, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Nijmegen, Helmond, Venlo, Sittard-Geleen and Maastricht. They are expected to start implementation in early 2024. These municipalities were selected on the basis of crime figures and socio-economic data, in order to include the current security situation and to take into account the (future) breeding ground for youth crime.