Concerns in Ter Apel about nuisance caused by asylum seekers, more focus on special reception | Domestic

In Ter Apel, a group of about two hundred asylum seekers is causing a nuisance. The entrepreneurs are therefore writing a letter to the government and the municipality of Westerwolde. They say the village is being shunned because of those incidents and say they are “at their wits’ end.”

“Discussion is taking place at a level far from Ter Apel, with overarching talk about the village, how bad it would be for us, but in practice they do not act on it,” the entrepreneurs write.

Some residents of Ter Apel have united in a vigilante group. The municipality, among others, expressed understanding for the citizens, who have been dealing with nuisance for a long time.

But concerns about this vigilante are increasing. Last month there were several incidents in which someone was injured during a citizen’s arrest.

It’s fine to use your ears and eyes, but this must be within the applicable legal rules, police chief Martin Sitalsing said last week. One today. “When people take the law into their own hands, a line is really crossed for us.”

In addition to more officers on the street, entrepreneurs hope for compensation for the damage to their image and thefts. In the letter they also demand that no more nuisance asylum seekers are accommodated in Ter Apel.

To tackle the nuisance, the ministry is using, among other things, the special process availability location (pbl). People who have little chance of being allowed to stay are accommodated here to await their accelerated process. They are not allowed to leave the registration center grounds during this process.

At the same time, from the end of this month, dozens of ‘underprivileged people’ will also be taken to other reception locations every week. By the end of that year, the size of the group must be limited to “a minimum”, the ministry promised in a letter to the municipality of Westerwolde, among others.

“The intention is there to fulfill the agreements,” said Mayor of Westerwolde Jaap Velema in response to the letter. “We will continue to critically monitor the implementation of the agreement made. Past experience has taught us that this does not happen automatically.”