Region 15On June 20, a supermarket employee was stabbed to death, near the town hall
In association with
Broadcasting West
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 09:12
The Hague is introducing a ban on knives throughout the city. The ban follows a string of deadly incidents. In June, for example, a supermarket employee was stabbed to death near the city hall.
“I want to use everything that helps in the fight against all the misery in the city,” said mayor Van Zanen recently Broadcasting West.
Yesterday evening pale that an overwhelming majority of the city council supports him. In order to introduce the general ban on knives, now only the General Local Regulation (APV) needs to be amended.
Tackling young people
“Knife use is out of control in The Hague,” says councilor Rachid Guernaoui (Hart for The Hague). He is happy that gun ownership is now being addressed. “Thanks to this ban, we can combat the number of knives on the street and especially tackle young people. They apparently come to the point of carrying a knife. With this ban, the police can enforce better.”
The number of stabbings and shootings in the royal city has increased sharply in recent months. The day before yesterday evening, a 24-year-old man was shot dead in Orlando Street. The same evening, a woman was injured in a stabbing on the Singel. Friday evening someone was stabbed on the Brasserkade.
On June 20, the employee of a supermarket on Turfmarkt was stabbed to death, as it turned out by a man who had been convicted of violent crimes several times. The stabbing even led to commotion in the House of Representatives. Various political parties expressed their concern about the fact that the suspect was able to walk around freely despite his past.
Eat on the terrace
If the APV is adjusted, it will be prohibited throughout The Hague to carry a knife on the street or in publicly accessible buildings without a clear purpose. You can only use it on the street if a knife is packed in such a way that it cannot be used immediately. Those who eat on a terrace can also do so with a knife (and fork).
In November 2020, a tour of the NOS showed that more than 70 percent of mayors in the Netherlands wanted a ban on knives for young people. It already applies in large cities such as Amsterdam and Rotterdam, but has not yet been introduced everywhere. Many cities have designated specific neighborhoods where it is forbidden to bring a knife.
In Zaandam, for example, such a ban applies to the center and a number of neighborhoods where there are many problems. The municipality has also given the police the power to carry out preventive body searches in those neighbourhoods. In other words: anyone can be checked by the police for possession of weapons just like that.
“Unfortunately, there are still many and often violent incidents involving weapons,” said deputy mayor Harrie van der Laan. “We believe that we should do everything we can to get as many guns off the street as possible.”
2023-08-30 07:12:22
#Knife #ban #coming #Hague
