The special reception location in the azc in Ter Apel was opened today. This shelter must limit the nuisance caused by asylum seekers in the villages of Ter Apel and Nieuw-Weerdinge. According to the Ministry of Justice and Security, a reception location for a ‘limited number’ of people will be started, which will be further expanded in the coming days.
The villages of Ter Apel and neighboring Nieuw-Weerdinge have been suffering from thefts, riots, intimidation and vandalism in the village for some time now. The main nuisance is caused by a small group, mostly Algerians, Moroccans and Tunisians.
The municipalities of Emmen and Westerwolde urged the Ministry of Justice and Security to take far-reaching measures. The special shelter would be there from June. After a considerable delay, the so-called pbl shelter (process availability location) will open today.
Part of the current azc has been converted into a pbl. Here come the asylum seekers whose application is seen as underprivileged. The idea is to guide this group through the registration process as quickly as possible.
According to spokesman Mijke Bol of the Ministry of Justice and Security, the people in this special shelter are offered a day and evening program full of activities. “Think, for example, of information about their return. You are rejected: what will happen then?” These asylum seekers must also be available at all times for discussions about their application.
The idea is that this group will get so busy that they will not have time to go into the surrounding villages. With the positive result that the nuisance decreases or even disappears. Because a missed conversation or missed appointment immediately leads to a line through the reception.
The number of people in the PBL will continue to increase in the coming weeks. So it is not quiet on the street from day one. It takes some time, says Bol. “The effect will increase over time.”
The pbl in Ter Apel can be regarded as a pilot, which may also be rolled out in other municipalities. “We have been walking around with this idea for a year and a half. We have been talking to various municipalities about starting this somewhere. It led to nothing, until Westerwolde reported.” Discussions are currently also underway with the municipality of Almere about the arrival of a PBL.