Street ban looms for repeat troublemakers

Youngsters who hang around the streets causing trouble could soon find themselves being banned from certain parts of town, under new government plans, the Telegraaf reports today.


The Justice and Home Affairs ministries want mayors to have the right to issue exclusion orders to keep troublemakers off the streets for up to three months. These could be extended if trouble persists.
The bans would apply to a small, core group of youths who are involved in vandalism and harass passersby; often under the influence of drink or drugs. While they have not necessarily committed crimes, they are an immense public nuisance.
The plan has been drawn up following a number of incidents in which people claim to have been made to feel unsafe – or even been driven from their homes – by ‘hangjongeren’, the moniker given to youth who hang around on street corners.
The aim of the exclusion orders would be to separate the gangs and make it harder for ringleaders to attract a following. As well as giving mayors the power to issue banning orders, the ministers also want to give prosecution service officials more powers.
These would include the right to impose contact and street bans, as well as force offenders to undertake treatment for their behaviour, such as aggression counselling.
The draft proposals were sent to the local authority organisation VNG, police chiefs and public prosecution officials for consultation on Wednesday.

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