The Netherlands has some 1,828 street gangs, at least 95 of which are involved in serious crimes, according to an investigation by RTL news.

The Rotterdam region has the most street gangs at 193, including 11 which are involved in serious crime. The Amsterdam area has 12 criminal gangs, the highest in the country, says the broadcaster.
Police commissioner Eric Akerboom told RTL that the force needed hundreds more police officers to deal with the growing nuisance caused by teenage gangs. ‘We need to double the number of juvenile crime officers,’ he said.
While a large proportion of the gangs are young Dutch Moroccan men, many Antillian and native Dutch youngsters are also involved. And mixed-race gangs are becoming increasingly common.
It must be hard to be a teenager when just hanging around on the street can have you branded as a gang member, says today’s column…