Zeist: Complaints from Moroccan families against intervention teams

An intervention team that messes up your house ruthlessly. Three families from Zeist, next to Utrecht, think that it is so threatening and intimidating that they turned to the court.

The intervention team already visited at least 40 addresses. the goal of the house search is to strike at a network of criminal youth. Lawyer Erik Olof says that in all cases it was aimed at Moroccan families.

A house visit of the Project Interventie Jongeren (Youth Intervention Project) goes as follows: The team rings the bells, asks if they may come in, and then fills the living room with about ten people. the team leader calls everybody together and reads a letter from the mayor. There is says what the team has come to do: inspection. Then comes a thorough inspection: is the house in order, is the data by the municipality correct, are there any tax debts.

The intervention team consists of representatives from the municipality, police, social service, tax service and housing corporations. It visits youth who have been causing trouble and their friends and family.

Olof , lawyer for the three families, says that the visited households are scared, shivering and intimidated. Two more families have signed up with his colleague Tiny Wiertz. They don't want to take legal action. "the people are afraid and want to stay out of the public eye as much as possible," according to Wiertz.

The lawyer is trying to come to a solution through the Utrecht and national ombudsman. "In this way we're trying to have the municipality admit that they can't do this. People feel intimidated. The team says that people co-operate willingly, but these families are so stunned and dare not say to the police that they can't come in."

If a resident does not let the intervention team in, they must go away. but thereafter the family gets many letters, says Olof.

The Zeist municipality did not want to react as long as there was no judgment. Earlier alderman Van Kuijk said he was satisfied with the result of the project. With this project Zeist is trying to get off the list of the top 10 municipalities with high criminality rates.

A judgment is expected May 4th.

Source: AD.nl (Dutch)