Residents and businesses welcome nuisance zone expansion in Vondelpark to curb crime
City authorities have expanded a designated nuisance and dealer-overload zone to include Vondelpark, a large park in Amsterdam, and its surrounding streets, responding to rising concerns from residents and local businesses over safety and crime, AT5 reports. The measure takes effect immediately and will remain in place indefinitely.
Residents in the Vondelpark area said they increasingly feel unsafe, particularly while cycling. A local resident from Vondelstraat told AT5, “Sometimes I feel unsafe on my bike. People often shout at me in the neighborhood, and there have been many burglaries at 't Blauwe Theehuis. I would like to feel safer in the area, especially now that I have a child.”
Business owners echoed these concerns. One contractor working on local basement construction reported, “We are building basements here, and it has happened a few times that when we came to work in the morning, things were gone.”
City authorities cited a high volume of complaints as the reason for the expansion. District official Rocco Piers said the designation allows authorities to respond more quickly.
“We have designated it as a nuisance area because there is more drug dealing, drug use, and criminal activity. We want to be able to intervene sooner,” Piers told AT5.
Under the new status, police can act faster, impose area bans, and remove individuals causing disturbances. “That adds to what we are already doing,” Piers added.
