It hit the Jonkerbos cemetery again on Sunday, much to the frustration of relatives. Despite additional security measures taken after last June’s thefts. Then graves were also looted. “But that doesn’t seem to be enough. We’re going to ramp up security again. We are currently busy introducing these extra measures,” says Franc Korsten, director of the foundation that includes the Jonkerbos cemetery, Nijmegen Cemeteries.
What measures these are, he keeps in the middle – to the press and relatives of the deceased in the cemetery. That’s for the best, he was advised. Cameras are currently overseeing the entrance and parking lot.
Toke Damen-Peeters and Rianca van Vorsselen are relatives and have been duped by the grave thefts. They previously spoke out against Omroep Gelderland for more camera surveillance. Moreover, according to them, the gate to the cemetery has been broken for months. Korsten states that the gate is intact, but is open and he tries to do something about it. “That gate is not ours, it belongs to the crematorium next to us. We do ask the crematorium to close it. We are also working hard to see how we can close that part.”
Thieves come for the statuettes, vases and candlesticks made of bronze and copper. In total, items were taken from 23 graves, according to Korsten. Relatives are advised to report the incident so that the police can investigate.