In Roden, a dozen young people on scooters have been causing nuisance for several months by tearing through residential areas at high speeds. Community police officer Harry Prak speaks of a ‘persistent problem’.
They pull wheelies, driving without a helmet and way too fast. In Roner residential areas, residents are almost driven crazy by the nuisance-causing ‘scooter youth’. “They drive quietly at 70 or 80 kilometers per hour in residential areas where you are allowed 30,” says policeman Prak. “It has already resulted in fines for some of those guys and we have a picture of them. But they don’t seem impressed by a fine or a conversation at the station.”
The complaints of residents have been going on for a long time, Prak knows. “A few months. They cause a lot of nuisance with dangerous driving behavior. Moreover, it is accompanied by a lot of noise.”
Prak estimates the youths to be 15, 16 and 17 years old. “All minors. We have therefore approached their parents, but that does not necessarily yield anything. Some parents take it quite seriously, but others think it is nonsense that we address them about their son’s behavior.”
According to Prak – no matter how skilled they are – it does not have to come from youth workers either. “This group of boys will not be told anything by a youth worker. These types of groups are becoming more and more persistent. These are not about individuals, but really about groups that go to meetings go to Groningen to meet up with other groups of scooter riders. There are also groups in Eelde and Vries.”
According to Prak, the problem with the scooter youth is therefore not so easy to solve. “If we go after them in the car, we won’t catch them. With a motorcycle police officer we can do that, we often have them at the station within half an hour. We have already had quite a number of guys at the station.”
Roller bench checks then show that the majority of scooters have too much power. “Then they (the owners, ed.) will be fined, but apparently that is not a sign for them to stop.”
Meanwhile, the boys not only play with the safety of local residents, but also themselves. “We have already seen several single-vehicle accidents,” says Prak. “In a few years these guys will get a car driver’s license. I’m holding my breath.”