Boy, 9, caught threatening a 6-year-old with a combat knife in The Hague
Police in The Hague said that a 9-year-old boy was caught threatening a 6-year-old boy with a knife. The situation was brought under control on Wednesday by responding officers, and there were no injuries.
A photo of the modern karambit-style combat knife was distributed by police on Friday. Similar knives can be easily obtained online, both with sharpened metal blades and with wooden blades some retailers refer as "toys for children." The blades alone are often about 10 to 13 centimeters in length.
"The knife has been confiscated and the 9-year-old was spoken to by his mother and police," authorities said. The case was referred to Veilig Thuis, an association that intervenes in domestic violence and potentially unsafe households.
The child will not be prosecuted "because this is not possible when under 12 years." In any case, police registered the incident, and now the young child has the attention of officers in the area. "Not something to be proud of at that age."
The location of the incident was not revealed, but it was publicized by police operating on Beresteinlaan in the city's Bouwlust en Vrederust neighborhood. Police asked parents to "please pay attention" to their children. "Check their bags and pouches before they ‘go out to play’ and make this subject a conversation topic before accidents happen."
The mayor of The Hague is allowed to designate areas to ban knives and other objects used as weapons, according to the city's local regulations. There is no specific citywide ban on carrying knives in public. Zoetermeer introduced a similar ban two years ago. The municipality lies just west of The Hague.
Such a ban was announced by the municipality of Amsterdam earlier this week, specifically because of the rise in violent crime involving young adults and adolescents in the capital. Winterswijk, Middelburg, Vlissingen, and Groningen have all introduced bans on knives, with some exceptions specific to each municipality. The Cabinet has expressed its wish to implement a national ban on carrying knives in public.