Violent incidents in the Meppel nightlife follow each other in rapid succession; the police made several arrests last week, but last weekend things went wrong again when a man and a woman were injured in several fights. The catering industry in Meppel is fed up and wants the ‘SUS team’ to return. And the municipality pays for it.
The escalation of violence in the city center is a step too far for Jaap de Boer. “But we are at the point where we have to keep the violence under control,” says the manager of the popular Herberg ‘t Plein in Meppel.
From the beginning of July there were at least four serious violent incidents in the evening hours of the weekend. Last Thursday, a doorman was assaulted. Three times there were ‘head kicks’; the perpetrators kicked the head, while the victim had already gone to the ground. ‘Head kicking’ is a serious offence; for the Public Prosecution Service it is equivalent to attempted manslaughter. The police arrested four suspects, but the violence did not stop.
De Boer – also on behalf of the board of Horeca Meppel – is taking the initiative for the return of the SUS team: these are private security guards who call troublemakers to account for their behavior in order to prevent problems at an early stage.
De Boer studied the situations in Heerenveen and Amsterdam’s Rembrandtplein, among other places, and recorded his findings in a Powerpoint. He wants to share it with colleagues, the police and the municipality in the short term.
30 thousand euros
Until 1 June there was an SUS team in Meppel. “Fifteen catering entrepreneurs jointly paid 30 thousand euros to an external security company. For that amount, all weekends in the year were covered,” says De Boer.
“Four of those fifteen are now left. Well, how does that go? Then the finger is pointed: why does he not pay and I do? Why is the council not doing anything? When the first dies, more will follow. The domino effect.”
Without a SUS team, says De Boer, the capacity problem of the police becomes painfully visible. “Then the understaffing becomes clear. You throw a troublesome person out of your business and put him on the street. Such an SUS team takes a different approach, they lead someone away and tell him: ‘joh, it’s better that you go home’. The police also work like a red rag to a bull.”
What De Boer and his colleagues would like to see is a financial contribution from the town hall. The municipality recognizes the seriousness of the problem, according to De Boer, but keeps a tight rein.
“The municipality is still in default, but should not be left behind,” says De Boer. ,, Of course we as a catering industry have a responsibility, we know that too. But we are also just citizens. It cannot be the case that citizens are held responsible for safety on the street, public order.”
‘Administrative measures’
In a written response to questions about the recent nightlife violence, the municipality says that it is working ‘together with the police and the catering industry to ensure that going out is safe and pleasant. The fact that people have been arrested shows that violence is not tolerated and we act against it. Where possible, we take administrative measures to contribute to a safe and pleasant Meppel.
De Boer advocates joint responsibility: “Everyone must take their responsibility, the municipality, the catering industry, but also the other entrepreneurs. It’s not just about nightlife violence, it’s also about breaking a window, for example. It would be nice if that could be fixed an hour later. It is about the image of our beautiful city. We all have to take care of that.”
As far as De Boer is concerned, there should be a graduated scale that determines the contribution to a safer city centre. “It is clear that the night catering industry has to contribute more than an ordinary tradesman. The longer you are open, the more you have to pay.”