The Netherlands is sending police officers to assist their Belgian colleagues at the seaside town of Knokke to deal with Dutch teenagers causing trouble, reports the Belga News Agency.
The warm weather has seen another rise in Dutch young people visiting the Belgian coast. Every year, Knokke's entertainment industry attracts young partygoers, notably from neighbouring countries.
Tourists from across the border are also attracted by the lower drinking legal drinking age in Belgium, where 16-year-olds can legally purchase beer and wine. In the Netherlands, the minimum legal age is 18.
According to VRT, as many as 700 teenagers from Amsterdam recently travelled to the coastal town of Knokke last weekend. They are reportedly from the affluent residential areas north of Amsterdam, but also Gooi and the Vechtstreek in the provinces of Utrecht and North Holland.
While many of these young visitors are simply enjoying their holidays, their presence has led to an increase in disturbances, including noise complaints, public urination and minor altercations – infuriating residents.
Overall, there were not any major incidents over the weekend of 11 July but police were still busy with nuisance issues until the early hours of the morning. "It is often only after four o'clock in the morning that the biggest problems begin," a police officer told Het Laasts Nieuws.
Illustration picture shows people on the terrace of a bar, around closing time, in the nightlife neighbourhood of Knokke, Saturday 11 July 2020. Credit: Belga / Nicolas Maeterlinck
Dutch youths are associated with becoming rowdy once they start drinking, often keeping residents up at night. They were also accused of stealing shopping trolleys to transport crates of beer to the beach, the manager of a local Delhaize told De Morgen on Friday.
As in previous years, the Belgian authorities have deployed extra police, including mounted units, supported by Dutch officers, to maintain order during the summer. This cross-border policing initiative aims to reduce tensions and prevent the festive atmosphere from escalating into disorder.
Belgians and French too
From Saturday, a second wave of young people is expected, this time from other areas of the Netherlands. To deal with this, the local police force is deploying a mixed patrol of Belgian and Dutch cyclists that can intervene quickly and actively in the nightlife area.
Given that the Dutch police have access to Dutch information databases, young offenders can be identified more swiftly. In addition, Knokke's local police have reported that Dutch young people are quicker to engage in dialogue with a Dutch officer because they recognise the Dutch police uniform.
Like last year, Dutch officers will also actively and interactively use social media to continue connecting with young people in the virtual world.
However, it is not just Dutch people. Locals are also complaining about the arrival of hundreds of French tourists, which has also prompted the French police to send two officers to help their Belgian colleagues at the end of July.
Belgian youths too, are crossing the border and causing nuisance in the Netherlands. Belgian teenagers, particularly from Brussels, are heading to Terneuzen to cool off in the town's outdoor swimming pools. In response, pool operators have introduced different entry fees for locals and visitors.
Cross-border cooperation is possible thanks to the Benelux police treaty from 2023, which allow a Benelux agent in each of the three countries to arrange traffic, carry out identity checks to guarantee public order and security.
