Much Human Excrement on Amsterdam Streets

According to the Amsterdam section of the Society for the Protection of Animals (Dierenbescherming), much human excrement can be found on Amsterdam streets. In many places, the percentage goes up to 20% in particular along the quays, parks and narrow streets in the Center. Most perpetrators are tourists, but others are homeless and junkies. If one sees a dog eating excrement, these are usually human ones. If there are drugs inside, it is dangerous for the animals. Recently a dog had to be brought for intensive care and his stomach had to be pumped.
http://rtl.nl.msn.com/(/actueel/rtlnieuws/)/components/actueel/editienl/nieuws/2011/w35/Twintig-procent-van-poep-op-straat-is-van-mensen.xml

Dependence of Elevator Inspections Causes Risks

The Inspectorate of Labor has written in a confidential report that the safety of elevators in the Netherlands is not assured because 4 of the 6 companies authorized to inspect elevators are not independent of the people who give them the assignments. The companies also admit that the quality of inspections is problematic. Since the year 2000, 17 people have been killed in elevators accidents and last year about 500 people were wounded in elevator incidents. The Director of the largest company Michael Douque of the Liftinstituut, the market leader in inspections, said nowadays I still prefer the elevator over the stairs because one can fall on the stairs, but in another five years, I’ll take the stairs.
www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2011/08/29/veiligheid-liften-in-gevaar-omdat-keuringen-niet-onafhankelijk-zijn/

Utrecht Mayor: Trust in Authorities has been affected by Mistakes

Last year a homosexual couple had to leave a neighborhood in Utrecht due to harassment by Moroccan youngsters. Last week, it became clear that Mayor Aleid Wolfsen, (Labor), the prosecution and the police had made major mistakes in this matter. Wolfsen has admitted that communication with the victims was poor and it took eight months to hear a witness. An incomplete file was sent to the court and it had been necessary to install cameras earlier than was done in practice. The court in Arnhem has already said that the prosecution should have given priority to the couple’s complaints. The police made far too little effort to hear perpetrators as witnesses or suspects. Wolfsen also admitted that the perpetrators have not been punished.
www.elsevier.nl/web/Nieuws/Politiek/314961/Wolfsen-onder-vuur-in-zaak-weggepest-homostel.htm

Riots in Culemborg

There were riots last Friday night in Culemborg, a town where there is often tension between Moroccan youngsters and those from the Moluccan Islands in Indonesia. The police had to call in extra forces. Last year, after New Year’s Eve for several weeks, emergency laws were put into effect in the town. Already in 2005, there was a hard core of 60-70 Moroccan youngsters from the gang “Rif Power” who were involved in threats, physical abuse, car break-ins, and robberies.

www.elsevier.nl/web/Nieuws/Nederland/314907/Weer-ongeregeldheden-in-Culemborgse-wijk-Terweijde.htm?forum=214408&pagenr=4&showall=true
http://www.elsevier.nl/web/Opinie/Misdaad-Straf/254904/Culemborgse-rampwijk-hardnekkig-probleem.htm?print=true

Father of Queen Had Another Child Out of Wedlock

Prince Bernhard, the late father of Queen Beatrix apparently had a third daughter out of wedlock. The lady in question appeared on Dutch television this week. She was born out of an extramarital affair the Prince had in 1945. Earlier, two other daughters born out of wedlock had been publicly identified. These two shared in the Prince’s heritage at equal levels with the four princesses. The queen does not maintain contact with them. The newly-found daughter was revealed by royalty journalist Marc van de Linden for a book The Women of Prince Bernhard.
www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/Binnenland/article/detail/2860480/2011/08/23/Prins-Bernhard-had-nog-een-buitenechtelijke-dochter.dhtml
www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2686/2011/article/print/detail/1823871/Koningin-Beatrix-heeft-geen-contact-met-halfzussen.dhtml

Trade Union Collects Old Clothes for Soldiers

The Trade Union for Defense Workers VBM/NOV has recently collected used clothes among former military personnel. According to the trade union, the ministry, due to budgetary constraints has to delay providing equipment and clothing to military personnel. Earlier this week, the old clothes were distributed among military personnel. Also at the Royal Military Academy (KMA) in Breda, the union distributed army boots, caps, uniforms and shirts.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/10415084/__Vakbond_geeft_militairen_kleding__.html

Parliamentarian Claims that Police Don’t Protect Him

Parliamentarian Dion Graus (Freedom Party) claims that he has been threatened many times and that the police don’t give him enough protection. Graus claims that Moroccans have pushed him with their car from the road in The Hague earlier this year but when he complained to the police, they didn’t do anything. Furthermore, he states that on various occasions he had to flee during meetings from his enemies due to threats. Graus says that the police think that if they if they protect his party leader Geert Wilders, that is enough. However, perpetrators may then think that he could be an easier target. He also heavily criticized the National Coordinator for the Fight against Terrorism saying “they haven’t learned anything from the past.”
www.depers.nl/binnenland/590628/Kritiek-Graus-op-beveiliging.html

Increase in Number of Elderly Alcoholics

The number of elderly alcoholics will increase significantly in the coming years. This was stated by psychologist Harrie van Gestel of the Novadic Kentron Institute which deals with addictions. According to him, many people who are retired experience a vacuum in their lives and thus drink alcohol more often. The number of people above the age of 55 taken care of by institutes for addictions has doubled in the last ten years to more than 11,000.
www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1015/Gezondheid-wetenschap/article/detail/2838125/2011/08/05/Aantal-oudere-alcoholverslaafden-neemt-toe.dhtml

Increase in Scooter Thefts – Thieves Becoming More Professional

Within a period of four years, the theft of scooters and mopeds in the Netherlands has increased by a whopping 66%. In the first half of 2011, 7,632 were stolen, while less than a quarter were retrieved. The thieves are also becoming increasingly professional. The preferred scooters of the thieves are the Piaggio brand.
http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/10386429/__Scooterdiefstal_stijgt_explosief__.html?sn=binnenland

Minister of Defense Admits to Problems with Mission in Afghanistan

Dutch Minister of Defense, Hans Hillen (Christian Democrat) has written to Parliament that indeed the Dutch police mission in the Afghan province of Kunduz has experienced problems. From letters of participants to the Dutch media, it had become known that large parts of the material required among which are flak jackets and ammunition, had not yet arrived and only two out of twenty interpreters were available. Hillen wrote that due to defective planes, much of the material could not be transported and it was difficult to attain permission to overfly certain countries. Hillen criticized the military who informed the media, as the Taliban were reading what they were saying.

www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2011/08/16/hillen-erkent-problemen-politietrainingsmissie-kunduz/

Police Commissioner: Burglars get Far too Light Punishment

Police Commissioner Leen Schaap of the Amsterdam Police said that burglars in the Netherlands get far too light punishment. Schaap said that much effort is invested in catching burglars and then they receive a light sentence which is in no way related to the severity of the crime. In the Amsterdam region in 2010, 6,800 burglaries were reported and 618 burglars were arrested. In particular, the suburb Amstelveen is a preferred target of burglars.
www.parool.nl/parool/nl/224/BINNENLAND/article/detail/2848080/2011/08/13/Politie-vindt-straffen-inbrekers-te-laag.dhtml

Dutch Police Training Mission in Afghanistan is a Logistic Mess

Dutch police trainers in the province of Kunduz in Afghanistan are frustrated because for six weeks since their arrival, a large part of their material has not yet arrived. Only two out of twenty interpreters are there. According to the Dutch national broadcasting organization NOS, the Dutch soldiers there consider the mission in their emails a logistical disaster. The Ministry of Defense says that the Dutch are ready to start the training of Afghan police agents.

www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/4905/2011/article/print/detail/2848846/Politietrainers-Kunduz-gefrustreerd-Logistiek-is-puinhoop.dhtml

Most Personnel Files at Ministry of Defense Not in Order

Confidential documents in the possession of the daily NRC Handelsblad show that most personnel files at the Ministry of Defense are not up-to-date. The Internal Control Services cannot exercise their functions properly due to lack of personnel. High military officers complain about “a lack of quality in management.” The internal audit service found that only 4,000 of the 66,000 personnel files are in order. This can cause major problems in the upcoming scaling down of the Dutch military, where thousands of soldiers will have to be laid off in the framework of a one billion Euro budget cut. The Secretary General of the Ministry, Ton Annink claims that it will take little time to update the files.

www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2011/08/13/bestuur-en-administratie-bij-defensie-niet-op-orde/

Dutch Company Broke Iran Embargo

A Dutch company Fokker Services, which supplies American parts for the maintenance of Iranian aircraft has broken the embargo. This daughter company of the Stork/Fokker group may be punished with a fine of millions of Euros. Last week, it became known that because of similar transgressions of the embargo, the Dutch ING Bank must prepare to receive a fine of hundreds of millions of Euros.
www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/10317954/__Fokker_schond_embargo_Iran__.html

Majority of Dutch: Eurozone will Break Up

The majority of Dutch voters think that the Eurozone in one way or another will not continue in its present form. Fifty-six percent have said that they would have preferred, even today, that the Netherlands would not have entered the Eurozone. Twenty-nine percent think that if the Eurozone collapses, the Netherlands will continue with a few other countries with the Euro. More than 10% think that each country will return to its previous currency.

www.elsevier.nl/web/Nieuws/Europese-Unie/311010/Meeste-Nederlanders-verwachten-uiteenvallen-eurozone.htm

Deputy Minister: Money for African Aid May end up with Terrorists

The Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ben Knapen (Christian Democrat) stated on Radio One that he cannot guarantee that humanitarian aid to fight hunger in the Horn of Africa will not partly end up with terrorist organizations. He said that while he has no concrete information, one never knows where either money or food will ultimately end up. He reacted to a U.N. report that the Somalian terror organization Al-Shabaab requests fees in order to let food through.
www.telegraaf.nl/buitenland/10309094/____Geld_kan_bij_terroristen_belanden____.html?sn=buitenland

Massive Arrest of Motorcyclists to Prevent Gang Wars

The Amsterdam police arrested 56 members of the Moluccan motorcycle club Satudarah. This was done in order to prevent a gang war with another club, the Hells Angels. The Satudarahs want to become members of an international motor gang called the Bandido’s. Among those arrested, two pistols and twelve knives were found. In the meantime, 50 bikers have been released.
http://rtl.nl/(/actueel/rtlnieuws/binnenland/)/components/actueel/rtlnieuws/2011/07_juli/31/binnenland/zes-molukse-motorrijders-nog-vast.xml

Health Inspectorate: Hospitals Must Follow Hygiene Procedures Better

Jan van Wijngaarden, Chief Inspector of Public Health has told RTL TV News that hospitals will have to adhere more strictly to hygiene procedures. Also the use of antibiotics needs to be monitored because if not done correctly, it will increase the outbreak of bacteria. Van Wijngaarden said this as a result of the problems with resistant bacteria at the Maasstad hospital in Rotterdam. The inspectorate of health will control hygiene procedures in hospitals more strictly from now on.
www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/5270/Zorg/article/detail/2840018/2011/08/06/Inspectie-gaat-ziekenhuizen-strenger-bekijken.dhtml

Police: Security Cameras are of Very Poor Quality

The Council of Police Commissioners has stated that the quality of many security cameras in the Netherlands is very low. Often, criminals are filmed so poorly that one cannot even recognize them. The greatest problem is the difference in quality and in addition, cameras are regularly hung the wrong way. As a result, criminals are often acquitted by judges. Last year, one robber was filmed 17 times at automatic cash machines. Only in one case was he somewhat recognizable. The police want a guarantee of quality for the cameras, but know that this request cannot be imposed.

http://www.nu.nl/binnenland/2581546/politie-vindt-kwaliteit-cameratoezicht-tenenkrommend.html

Rotterdam: 65 Arrests during Summer Carnival

During the summer carnival in Rotterdam, 65 people were arrested. In some cases it was because they had attacked policemen. One policeman was bitten on his head. Another policeman had a bottle thrown at his head. One person was knifed in the face and the stabber managed to escape. Most people were arrested for public drunkenness, urinating in public, drug use, or because they had no I.D. on them. Thirteen people were brought to hospitals for heart problems, broken bones and one case of a brain concussion.
www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/3380/muziek/article/detail/2823823/2011/07/31/Tientallen-aanhoudingen-tijdens-Zomercarnaval.dhtml

Green Left Parliamentarian Complains to Police about Death Threats

Green Left Parliamentarian Tofik Dibi complained for the second time in a week about receiving death threats on Twitter. This time someone wrote to him, “I hope that they kill you together with all your leftist friends.” Dibi is one of the politicians who has accused PVV leader Geert Wilders that through his use of language, murderers such as Anders Breivik may decide to become violent. Wilders replied that this was total nonsense and that these people could climb a tree as far as he is concerned.
www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/4500/Politiek/article/detail/2825021/2011/08/01/Tofik-Dibi-weer-bedreigd.dhtml

Enschede: No Patients Accepted Due to Resistant Bacteria

Last week, the infectious MRSA bacteria was identified in a patient at the Medisch Spectrum Twente hospital in Enschede. Thereupon the hospital decided to stop accepting patients for two surgical departments. All planned operations, other than emergency ones have been postponed. This policy will be continued until tests give more clarity on the situation. The MRSA bacteria is difficult to fight because it is resistant to most common antibiotics. The bacteria is also called the “hospital bacteria” because it mainly occurs there. Annually in Dutch hospitals, about 1,500 people become infected by the bacteria.
www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/5270/Zorg/article/detail/2824180/2011/07/31/Opnamestop-Twents-ziekenhuis-om-MRSA-bacterie.dhtml