Local residents around the Reginahof in Boxtel have mixed reactions to the camera surveillance that the municipality will introduce at the De Walnoot community center from Monday. Some residents are happy that something is being done to combat the nuisance caused by groups of young people. Others say they hardly notice any problems in the neighborhood.
The municipality announced on Thursday that cameras will be installed around the community center until September 1. This happens because of persistent nuisance from young people in the neighborhood.
A couple who live at Reginahof are relieved that the cameras are returning. Last year, temporary camera surveillance was also installed and according to them it became quieter then. “We have simply lost our enjoyment of living here,” says one of them. “As soon as the weather gets nice, it happens every evening. From about five o’clock until sometimes deep into the night.”
“We can’t even sleep normally.”
It started with some young people playing football in front of the door. “But now there are sometimes twenty people here. They shout, kick balls really hard against garages and windows and climb onto balconies if the ball stays there.” The couple has a hard time, especially at night: “You keep waking up when another ball hits the window. We can’t even sleep normally.”
They prefer not to speak to young people themselves. “Then they shout: ‘Fuck off old man, what are you doing?’” The couple has called the police before. “But when they come, they flee in all directions.”
Yet not everyone in the neighborhood is negative about the young people. “I can imagine that it is annoying if it keeps you awake at night. But young people should also be able to hang out outside somewhere. It doesn’t bother me myself, although I have heard of them kicking neighbors’ front doors and throwing eggs. That is of course not okay,” says another resident around the Reginahof.
At a supermarket opposite the Reginahof, the shopping trolleys are now brought in before closing time. “Trolleys have been destroyed a number of times,” says an employee.
“I have to be careful how I look.”
The nuisance also occurs in other places in and around Boxtel. Last summer, a group of seven young people between the ages of 15 and 18 were arrested. They were suspected of, among other things, assault, vandalism and being partly responsible for a large part of the unrest, such as that at the Liempde fair.
It seems quieter in the center of Boxtel this year, says manager Corné of restaurant Derechter. “But we do have younger staff who still find it exciting to cycle home in the evening, they are afraid of encountering those groups.”
Another resident who wishes to remain anonymous says that he has previously been assaulted and robbed of his electric scooter. “When I walk down the street in Boxtel at night, I have the feeling that I have to be careful how I look.”
According to him, cameras are not enough. “They are always there temporarily. It gives a safe image rather than actually making it safer. They need to be tackled much harder.”
Other residents argue for more rapprochement. “Banning everything makes no sense. These young people want to belong somewhere. We should involve them more in things.”