AMSTERDAM - Police in the Amsterdam district of Slotervaart want to deport two Moroccan youths. They say the brothers, both around 20 years old, are the centre of a criminal youth gang and that they have been living in the Netherlands for 15 years without Dutch passports.

They also recently failed to renew their residence permits on time and this, say the police, provides a reason to send them back to Morocco because it means they were in the Netherlands illegally.

The Slotervaart police say that because 80 percent of gang members have no Dutch passport, deportation represents a new weapon in the fight against them.

From now on, gang members picked up for criminal activity will be investigated to determine whether or not they are illegal residents. If the answer is yes, then they will be deported.

Radio Netherlands / Expatica