Young male asylum seekers who have virtually no chance of obtaining a residence permit are causing great unrest in Aalden and Zweeloo. The police received 32 reports of nuisance in three months.
This is what alderman Joop Slomp (PvdA) answered on Tuesday evening to questions from councilor Thieno Nijenbanning of BBC2014.
According to Nijenbanning, women in particular have not always felt comfortable in their own village because of these so-called safelanders. “These single young men just walk straight through gardens and behind houses.”
“At certain times, women no longer go to the supermarket because they no longer feel safe. The owner of the supermarket has hired a private security company because of the increase in shoplifting. The otherwise tolerant residents are starting to grumble about the asylum seekers center.”
Support base under pressure
Last year, the city council of Coevorden agreed to a temporary expansion of the asylum seekers’ center with fifty extra places, on top of the existing 450. According to Nijenbanning, the support that was still there at the time is now under pressure. “One in five residents is now an asylum seeker. The friendly atmosphere in the village is affected. We shouldn’t want this.”
Alderman Slomp confirmed the unrest. According to him, the 32 reports of nuisance vary from threats to theft to public drunkenness. According to him, twelve declarations were made in three months.
Slomp called the situation very annoying. According to him, COA, ministries, the municipality and the police are working on the problem. With the aim of having safe country files processed more quickly by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND), so that they can be deported more quickly.
Street coaches
“There will also be street coaches in the village who will address the safelanders in their own language,” said Slomp. ,,Details will be further worked out next week, so that the coaches can be deployed in mid-July.”
The temporary expansion with fifty asylum seekers was for a period of two years, with an option for another year. Slomp does not want to change that for the time being, but only make a decision when the end of those two years is in sight.
In 2016, there were also problems with hopeless young asylum seekers in Aalden. After fierce protests from the mayor and aldermen of Coevorden at the COA and the IND, they were no longer placed in Aalden at a certain point, which meant that peace was restored.
In Ter Apel and Nieuw-Weerdinge, there has been unrest for years due to criminal behavior of safelanders.