Concerns Rise Over Increasing Violence in Groningen
The city council meeting today will finally address the recent crimes and violence, which have caused the citizens of Groningen to feel unsafe.
This past weekend, several serious violent incidents occurred in Groningen, prompting concern from both the Groningen City Party 100% and the JOVD, the youth wing of the VVD.
Councilor Yaneth Menger of the City Party emphasised the need for immediate action, highlighting incidents such as a shooting, a stabbing, and a robbery. Menger expressed frustration with the Board's responses to previous concerns, stating that violence is now a daily issue, and not isolated incidents.
She noted that residents, including herself, feel increasingly unsafe and called for the situation to be treated as a crisis. Menger suggested measures such as increased camera surveillance and preventive searches, stressing that all potential solutions should be considered to ensure city safety.
The JOVD is also concerned about the recent surge in violent incidents. Stephan van der Linden argued for an integrated approach to reverse the trend, which includes better utilisation of police capacity, deploying surveillance in risk areas, intensive checks to reduce the number of knives and firearms on the streets, and the use of neighbourhood watch teams and more cameras in the city centre. The JOVD also supports educational programs to make young people aware of the dangers of knife and firearm ownership and use.
Over the weekend, violent incidents included a stabbing at the City Beach on Friday evening, a shooting on the Rademarkt on Sunday morning, and a violent robbery in the Lewenborg district on Sunday afternoon. In the past six weeks, there have been six stabbings and two shootings in the city. Menger expressed that these ongoing reports of violence are affecting the sense of security among residents, who now avoid going out during certain hours of the day.
The City Party has raised questions that will be discussed in the city council today, 12th June, seeking to address and enact upon the growing concerns about safety in Groningen.