There will be cameras in the center of Meppel. A majority of local politicians have agreed to this. These must hang in the city before the new event season in 2026.
The municipality hopes that fewer incidents will occur with the cameras in the city. The Meppeler Trade Association has been advocating for this for years. The discussion has gained momentum following three armed robberies in the city center earlier this year.
The robberies were reason to install temporary cameras in the streets in question. A 31-year-old man from Meppel was arrested and there have been no more robberies since then. The temporary cameras have now been removed.
SP and GroenLinks are the only parties in the council that are against the permanent cameras. They point out that cameras mainly have an after-the-fact effect and help the police track down the perpetrator. They prefer to see preventive measures taken. That is why the parties, together with PvdA and coalition party VVD, are coming up with a proposal to invest 150,000 euros in additional preventive measures.
The parties are considering, among other things, youth work, public campaigns, training for entrepreneurs and area-specific prevention work. The entire politics in Meppel supports this proposal.
Installing the cameras in the city also costs 150,000 euros, and about 65,000 euros are added annually in maintenance costs.
Figures from municipal boas show no increase in incidents in the center over the past three years. This year this has not yet been included. Most incidents occur on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and mainly in the evenings and nights. The municipality does see a threefold increase in the number of incidents involving violence by nightlife crowds compared to 2023.
There was already camera surveillance during Mokum, the busiest day on Thursday Meppel Day this year. That was just that particular day. The municipality writes that during previous editions this day often guaranteed several arrests for assaults or disrupting public order. This year there was not a single arrest during Mokum.