Amsterdam To Create Villages For Scumbags

04 Dec 2012 by Jasmine Stone in World

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Eberhard van der Laan, Amsterdam’s Labour mayor, is planning ‘Scum villages’ where anti-social neighbours will be booted from the city and rehoused in caravans or containers with “minimal services” under constant police and supervision.

This isn’t some far off dream, the Dutch capital already capital has a “special hit squad of municipal officials to identify the worst offenders for a compulsory six month course in how to behave.” Those who do not show any improvement or refuse to relocate for the course will face eviction and homelessness. On the surface this seems rather heavy handed and at odds with Amsterdam’s perceived lax attitude to spliff and prostitution.

Amsterdam, however, must deal with 13,000 complaints of anti-social behaviour every year. Van der Laan told The Telegraph that long-term harassment often leads to law abiding tenants, rather than their nuisance neighbours, being driven out. “This is the world turned upside down,” he said.

The newspaper went on to report:

There are already several small-scale trial projects in the Netherlands, including in Amsterdam, where 10 shipping container homes have been set aside for persistent offenders, living under 24-hour supervision from social workers and police.

Under the new policy, from January next year, victims will no longer have to move to escape their tormentors, who will be moved to the new units.

There has been some negative responses to the idea. The Dutch Parool newspaper reported that the idea was not new. In the 19th century, troublemakers were moved “to special villages in Drenthe and Overijssel outside Amsterdam. The villages were rarely successful, becoming sink estates for the lawless.” The difference of course, is that these new ‘caravan parks’ will not be permamnent residences and the inmates? guests? will be under constant supervision.

[Source: The Telegraph]

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