‘Ban EU criminals from the Netherlands’

The opposition Socialist Party SP wants to bar convicted criminals from other EU countries from returning to the Netherlands.

National daily reports that the measure is intended to crack down on criminal gangs from Eastern European countries. SP MP Sharon Gesthuizen:

Mobile banditry
The south-eastern province of Limburg is increasingly plagued by gangs of burglars from Eastern European countries who commit a series of burglaries in one area and then move on to another.

On Thursday, Limburg police commander Bryan Rookhuijzen described the phenomenon as "mobile banditry", saying it was affecting the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. He was presenting his police force’s annual report for 2011, which shows a strong increase in the number of burglaries in parts of the province.

Elusive
Mr Rookhuijzen said it was difficult to get a grip on the Eastern European gangs. “We know roughly where to find the regional burglars," he said, “but the Eastern European criminals move to the Netherlands or one of the neighbouring countries and from there quickly strike various regions.”

Criminal gangs from Central and Eastern Europe have been in the spotlight for some time. In the past few years, the alarm has been raised about gangs specialising in stealing lorry cargoes, cars, and about gangs of highly organised shoplifters.

gsh/mw

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