The damage caused by fireworks in Eindhoven has increased considerably.
The costs amounted to more than 82,500 euros last New Year. And that is a third more than the year before, according to figures from the municipality.
Destruction
Seven parking machines, fourteen bus shelters, five sorts of playground equipment, sixteen road gullies, fourteen traffic signs, two bridges and 132 waste bins have been damaged by (fireworks) vandalism.
More arrests
The police have registered 72 incidents this year. That is 15 more than during the previous New Year. This increase is partly due to annoying youth and the destruction of bus shelters and letterboxes, among other things. The police arrested nine people during the New Year. Last year, the police carried out four arrests.
The fire department received 29 reports, last year there were 40.
Violence against first-aid workers
Violence has also been used against first-aid workers this year. For example, a cop was kicked and City Supervision employees were pelted with fireworks and pieces of wood by young people. No reports were reported of aggression or violence against employees of the fire brigade and ambulance.
Most nuisance in Stratum and Tongelre
Complaints of nuisance have been reported 2100 times to the municipal reporting center. The largest number of reports comes from the Stratum and Tongelre districts, the least number from the city center. 38% of the reports were made before the start of the legal sale of fireworks.
Proposal for the new year
The council prefers a national ban instead of local measures. According to the council, enforceability becomes difficult if one municipality sets a ban and the other does not, and “fireworks tourism” is to be expected. With regard to enforcement, the capacity of the police and city surveillance during New Year’s Eve is primarily devoted to maintaining public order in the city. Then there is not enough capacity left to adequately enforce a fireworks ban.
The mayor and aldermen want to make a concrete and coordinated proposal to the council about how Eindhoven should deal with fireworks on the basis of the experiences at the turn of the year and the coming decision-making about a national ban for the summer.
Source: Studio040
Translator: Dirk
