“We now have a better picture of the situation,” says the mayor of Beverwijk. According to him, it concerns two groups of young people who are on in succession. “That is horrible, but has no further influence on other young people.” That is why he emphasizes that the municipality is committed to getting ‘normal life’ back to the city.
Yet he supports the decision to issue an emergency order in the past few days and to set up a safety risk area. “We heard so many messages on Thursday evening about children who did not dare to go to school, that half -filled classes was also not an option. It is a complicated dilemma, because such a decision can also have a frightening effect.”
Smit sees the effect that social media has on the young people. “Many people were anxious about what they saw on social media. I understand very well that you get scared and nervous.”
Safety risk areas
Parts of Beverwijk and Heemskerk remain as safety risk areas until 9 October. That means that searches are preventively. “In addition, several locations have been designated where extra enforcement, supervision, cameras and lighting were added. It has been said more often about those places that it feels unsafe.”
So far, three arrests have been made, one of which had direct link with the youth violence in the IJmond. The 20-year-old boy from Heemskerk Is suspected of spreading false information and incitement via social media. The other two arrests are about possession of weapons. Smit expects that more arrests will take place in the coming days.
For the young people in Beverwijk, Smit has another advice: “Pack life again as it was, we do everything so that everyone feels safe again in the city.”