Christians Under Attack

The problem of criminal youth in the neighborhood is so big that the police say during the show that "there's no proper answer" for it.

The chief of police and the mayor say in the show that security could be brought back to the neighborhood only if problem children would be forcibly removed from their families already when they're about twelve, and placed in special educational centers

The program "4 in het land" spent several weeks investigating in Kanaleneiland-Noord after the municipality put up fences around a senior home in order to cut off escape routes for criminals on scooters. 

The camera crew was chased out of the neighborhood three times by groups of youth, within five minutes.  The first time a company car was destroyed and camera equipment was stolen  In the following attempt a reporter was pelted with stones.  On the third attempt the crew had to flee when a group of youth stormed the car and smashed it up.  The editors of the show then decided to interview the residents undercover.  Residents told the reporters that they didn't call the police anymore since the youth then get back at them.

Mayor Brouwer is setting aside money to bring in more agents to the neighborhood, but according to the mayor and the police the struggle won't be won just by more police.

The situation of Moroccan youth in Tilburg, meanwhile, is "alarming".  The group of 12-16 year olds is described by the municipality 2006 report as "trouble makers, criminals and radical Muslims."

The municipality has now decided to deal with the Moroccans in the same way they have dealt with Antillean youth, who are rigidly counseled and coached.

"But without the Moroccan community itself we can do nothing," says Jan Hamming, responsible for integration in the municipality.  "Luckily the Moroccan community in Tilburg realizes on its own that something must happen.  It goes well with most kids, but if one in three ends up a criminal than that's simply not possible."

There are about 5,000 Moroccans in Tilburg, most of whom live in Tiburg-Noord and Tilburg-West.  There are about 4,000 Antillean in the city.  things have gone systematically wrong with those youth as well.

Hamming says that the direct approach and supervising of the Antillean problem youth since 2005 has had effect.  According to the municipality school dropout rate went down by 67%, unemployment by 62% and there's a drop in criminality (22% less).

"In spite of it the criminality continued to be above average," says Hamming.  Antillean youth are still the highest represented in (hard) criminality such as street robberies, theft and violence.  

Moroccan and Antillean youth who have gotten in trouble with the police are also more likely to get into trouble again.  Almost half get in trouble with the law a second or third time.

Seeing the results of coaching the Antilleans, in which slowly but surely they have improved their results at school and in society, the municipality believes that Moroccans would also benefit from a stricter approach.

Hamming says that the tide can be turned with family coaches, personal guidance and help of their own environment.  Tilburg is investing almost 2 million euro in both projects.

Though the new approach will deal especially with boy and somewhat older Moroccan youth, the municipality warns that the girls are also in a bad position.  They do not fall to criminality and have relatively higher education, "but also they have problem with finding their place in society.  They're also confronted with identity problems, prejudices and social exclusion."