Chief of police in Amsterdam, Frank Paauwe, calls for a nationwide ban on fireworks. According to Paauwe, this is the only way to prevent damage, injured officers and broken out riots during the turn of the year. According to the chief of police, setting off fireworks creates an atmosphere of lawlessness. Officers cannot tell whether fireworks are legal or illegal.
"We are ready for a turnaround," says Paauw to the NOS, which at the same time makes an appeal to politicians. "We always get a lot of sympathy after the turn of the year and there is a lot of outrage, but then it stops. A fireworks ban will really help."
During the past New Year's Eve, things once again went wrong in many places. There was vandalism, arson, aggression against emergency workers, and so on. More than 200 people were arrested. This week, as a result of all the disturbances, 200 police officers will report fireworks incidents. Not only were officers injured, but also officers who had heavy explosives thrown at their heads.
But the call for a nationwide fireworks ban is not getting much traction in national politics for now. The parties negotiating a new cabinet, VVD, PVV, NSC and BBB, are against it. People who simply light arrows with their family or friends in front of the door are not the problem, according to these parties. It is mainly about tackling rioters who have often bought illegal fireworks,which must therefore be enforced.
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The VVD seeks to include illegal fireworks in the Law on Prohibited Weapons and Ammunition, increasing penalties for violators. BBB seeks alternative solutions to a blanket ban and wants to talk to the police, referring to a "behavioral problem." NSC calls for an extension of the ban on face-covering clothing because of the use of balaclavas in riots.