Dog owners in Coevorden would from now on be wise to check carefully whether they have bags and scoops with them to clean up excrement before walking their four-legged friend. The municipality will check this more strictly on owners in order to limit nuisance caused by dog feces.
The municipality has recently tightened its rules for this within the so-called general local ordinance (APV). It was already mandatory for dog owners to clean up their dog’s poop, but it has now been added that owners must always have the necessary tools with them when walking their dog. Pay particular attention to bags and scoops. If they do not have these items with them, they risk a fine of 150 euros.
“That rule has now been added to better enforce dog poop nuisance,” says municipality spokesperson José Coenders. The underlying idea is that it is difficult to determine when someone has not complied with the obligation to clean up the poop. But it is easy to check whether the dog owner has the necessary equipment to do this at all. “To be clear, the supervisors will not immediately impose a fine of 150 euros. The first time dog owners make a mistake, they will receive a warning.”
The municipality is taking this step because, according to Coenders, dog poop nuisance is increasing. “That is a general problem: it is not possible to identify a specific place where the nuisance occurs more often,” she says. “That is why this general additional measure, which applies to the entire municipality.”
In addition to the dog poop rules, other rules have recently been tightened in the local Coevorden ordinance, including to prevent public drug use on the street and in public buildings. “We have now explicitly included that rule at the request of the police, so that officers have more tools to take adequate action.” With this rule, Coevorden follows national provisions that were previously included within the Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG).
Another stricter rule is the ban on carrying knives in public spaces, or other objects that could be used as a weapon. “The reason for this was that we saw that in recent years young people were increasingly found at major events with a knife in their pocket,” says Coenders. “That happened, among other things, at the fair.” This rule also means that enforcers will have more options to respond to this, the municipality says.
Furthermore, the new APV more explicitly includes the option for the mayor to close buildings where illegal activities take place. The parking rules have also been tightened, for example for caravans and trailers in public parking spaces within built-up areas.
All new rules are now in force. The last time Coevorden examined its general local ordinance was in 2020.