Police in Utrecht said on Friday that they welcome an initiative by residents of the Ondiep neighbourhood to set up citizens’ patrols to keep an eye on the area. ‘We support participation by citizens,’ a spokeswoman told ANP.

Local residents want to set up their own patrols because they claim the police are reluctant to tackle problems. The police spokeswoman said the police are willing to talk to residents’ groups about possible forms of cooperation.
Ondiep, a largely white working-class area, has been under close police guard since the shooting of a 54-year-old man by police on Sunday led to a number of disturbances and over 100 arrests.