The children no longer dare to play on the schoolyard of the De Sparrenbosschool primary school, because groups of intimidating young people on fat bikes have been hanging around in recent weeks. Reason enough for the primary school to raise the alarm with the police and the municipality, because according to the school director, this can no longer be the case.
In a letter to all parents, which is also in the hands of NH, school director Noël Minnes writes that he has sent an urgent cry for help from the school to the police and the municipality about the so-called ‘fat bike gang’ in Bennebroek.
“At times they camp in the school yard,” the letter reads. ‘And they cause a lot of nuisance.’ In addition, the director increasingly hears stories from concerned parents who no longer let their children go to school alone.
“They often gather here on the square, with about ten people,” Minnes tells NH. “As a result, children have to flee from the square because they are intimidated.”
“At the moment I do not have the solution,” Minnes writes in the letter. ‘But I can only advise you to discuss with your child what to do when you find yourself in a threatening situation.’
Camera images
Even though the nuisance teenagers are clearly visible on the camera images of the primary school, nothing has yet happened to the images. Minnes has offered the images to the police, but this has not yet been responded to. The director also made a report on Monday, but he has not heard anything back yet.
With this cry for help, Minnes hopes that rounding up this ‘fat bike gang’ will now be a priority for the police and the municipality. According to him, the schools in the area support his urgent cry for help. He also expects the police to come by quickly to view the images and then take action to suppress this problem. “Even if they lie in the bushes here to catch those boys.”
Stewards and extra boas in Bloemendaal and Bennebroek
In an attempt to stop the intimidation and threats of young people on fat bikes, acting mayor Ankie Broekers-Knol says that Bloemendaal will deploy stewards and extra boas. This will happen in and around ‘well-known hotspots’ such as the Bloemendaalseweg in Bloemendaal and the shopping area in Bennebroek. There will be extra surveillance, especially in the evenings.
Broekers-Knol further reports that the municipality is entering into discussions with young people, both perpetrators and victims, and that it is working intensively with Velsen and Haarlem. “We aim to solve these problems as quickly and adequately as possible,” said Broekers-Knol, who started on October 2.