A 50-year-old man from Nieuw-Weerdinge in the municipality of Emmen was arrested last weekend for assaulting a man during a citizen’s arrest, RTV Noord reported on Monday. It would be about a safekeeper who would have stolen something. Mayor Eric van Oosterhout condemns the violence, but at the same time says that residents of the village are in despair regarding nuisance from safelanders.
Police confirm that the victim is a 22-year-old man of no fixed abode. The man from Emmen is said to have chased and kicked the safekeeper. He was injured and had to go to hospital. More people are said to have taken part in the chase. It is not known how the safelander is doing now.
Six months ago it was promised that the nuisance would be tackled, but Mayor Van Oosterhout indicates that too little has changed. According to him, this is partly due to insufficient police capacity in the region. Citizens have therefore started a vigilante group. It is not clear whether the 50-year-old man is also among them. The mayor does not want Emmen residents to enforce themselves.
The arrested man has now been released, but remains a suspect, the police said.