Suspects in 25 Hague burglaries caught

The Hague police arrested eleven members of a youth gang early Tuesday morning in a large-scale operation, according to police reports.

With 200 men strong, police and detectives cracked down on the young criminals. Most of the members, between 17 and 20 years old, live in the same neighborhood they terrorize. The gang is suspected of 25 burglaries, threats, and nuisance in The Hague Zuidwest. One suspect was arrested in his car, the other ten were lifted from their beds during the wee hours of the night.

The gang, primarily of North-African descent, mostly targeted electronics, jewelry, and other personal items, according to a police spokesperson. It took the police about a year to prepare for the offensive. More arrests may still follow, because about seventy, mostly alien suspects, are being monitored in this case. 'Hopefully this will once again improve the quality of life and the safety in the neighborhood,' according to the spokesperson.

With youth gangs being mainly a problem in larger cities, The Hague and surroundings ranked second in 2012, with eleven criminal youth gangs. 'Youth gangs usually occur in disadvantaged districts, fed by school dropouts, youth unemployment, and a concentration of alien youth,' says criminologist Henk Ferwerda from the Arnhem Research Agency, Beke.