The municipality of Noordenveld and Halt look back positively on the use of the temporary Halt counter on the Rodermarkt. Possibly there will be such a counter again during the Feestweek next year.
Minors who have been caught by the police or enforcement on alcohol or drug use during the Rodermarkt were referred to a so-called Halt counter. There the parents were called and they were given the choice: a fine or a halt trajectory.
A total of 21 young people were referred. “The aim of this commitment was to make young people aware of their behavior, so that they make different choices in the future,” the municipality says.
According to Noordenveld, most parents and young people have opted for the Halt process. This means that the young people conduct a number of conversations and receive learning assignments under the supervision of Stichting Halt to reflect on their behavior.
“If something is important for young people, it is the speed of the experience and the consequences. Faster than this is almost impossible,” said Halt. The foundation emphasizes that the counter is also there to prevent illegal alcohol consumption.
“Let the conversation be fed at the kitchen table. Some young people also said that they talked about it at home, but still used alcohol. Maybe it’s group pressure.”
The counter has been around for two years and is a collaboration between different parties, but a municipality opts for the deployment. On Friday 20 September and on Monday 22 September the counter was present in Roden, earlier the counter also played in Assen during the TT.
Although the municipality of Noordenveld is still going to evaluate, it seems likely that the Halt counter will also be present again next year during the Rodermarktfeestweek.