The key facts

  • The Dutch military police will join order maintenance in Ter Apel from November 9
  • On average, more than 20 shoplifting incidents occur per week in the village's central district
  • The municipality links the situation to a group of refugees with little chance of asylum who do not wish to leave the country

Military police will arrive in Ter Apel on November 9

The Royal Netherlands Military Police will begin assisting local law enforcement from November 9 maintaining order in the village of Ter Apel in Groningen province, home to the country's largest asylum seekers' reception center. This was reported by NU.nl; the decision came in response to a request from the municipality, which asked for military police support due to the large number of incidents involving a group of refugees living in the camp.

What is happening in the village

According to the outlet, in the central district of Ter Apel there are on average weekly more than 20 shoplifting incidents. The head of the municipality of Westerwolde, which includes the village, Jaap Velema, said that incidents involving violence, including fights and knife attacks, regularly occur on the grounds of the reception center, and young migrants drink alcohol and disturb public order. The outlet notes that many of those involved in the incidents have little chance of receiving asylum in the kingdom, but they do not wish to leave the country.

Context

In May, it was reported that asylum seekers' reception centers in the Netherlands were overloaded due to the large influx of migrants — the situation in Ter Apel is unfolding against the backdrop of this overall strain on the reception system. Gazeta.Ru also mentioned that protests in France are intensifying the conflict over migration in the EU; sources do not draw a direct connection between these events and the decision regarding Ter Apel.