The government is to get tougher on would-be refugees who are causing problems in both refugee centres and places where they are based, junior justice minister Mark Harbers told MPs on Wednesday.

The Netherlands currently has two centres for problem cases – in Heerenveen and in Amsterdam. Most of the residents come from safe third countries such as Morocco  and face deportation but have not yet been sent back.

The measures which apply to the two centres – such as a curfew and a ban on visiting certain areas – have not sufficiently dealt with the problems being caused, Harbers said.

The situation is worst in Heerenveen, and now the centre’s residents are to be banned from more parts of town, including the local shopping centre. They will only now be able to visit a store on a supervised visit, the minister said.

He is also drafting in extra personnel to help with the supervision.

Harbers said he wants to speed up the assessment of asylum requests by people from safe countries, so they can be sent back as quickly as possible.

The experiment with the special centres runs until the end of the year.