Police presence increased in Tilburg neighborhoods after crime wave

Parts of two Tilburg-Noord neighborhoods was designated a risk area after a series of criminal and violent incidents over the past months. For the coming period the areas will have more patrolling police officers and passersby may be stopped and searched, Omroep Brabant reports. The municipality of Tilburg decided to take this step because residents of these areas feel unsafe, a spokesperson said to the broadcaster. It involves the part from Componistenlaan and Vlashoflaan in the neighborhoods Vlashof and Stokhasselt. Many of the violent incidents of recent months happened on Bartokstraat. Early in June shots were fired during a quarrel on the street. A few days later the police raided several homes in the neighborhood. In December an elderly couple were violently robbed in their home in the apartment building on the Street. A few months before that Therese Lutz was stabbed to death in her apartment in the same building. There were also at least two bus robberies in the area over the past year. In addition to extra police presence, the police will also clean up known problem locations on a daily basis. Police actions will be done in several places in the coming period. Local residents were informed about this by letter.