Police get stop and search powers after shootings in Zuidoost

Police will be able to stop and search anyone for weapons in part of Amsterdam-Zuidoost for a week from Thursday, after a long series of shooting and gun threats that the city says often involve minors.

The mayor, police and public prosecutor have designated the H-buurt, the K-buurt and the Nelson Mandelapark a security risk area until August 27. Inside it, police can search people without having any specific cause for suspicion.

Authorities recorded 18 firearm-related incidents in the area between June 1 and August 1, ranging from threats made at gunpoint to shootings that left people wounded.

In one case on August 3, a shot fired during a confrontation passed through a wall into a child’s bedroom. A minor was inside the house at the time, reported local broadcaster AT5.

Second summer running
It is the second summer in a row that Zuidoost has faced such a regime. Last year’s designation followed the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old and was extended into September.

Extra police patrols had already been deployed this summer, the city said, but had not been enough to restore calm.

Controversial tactics
Preventive searching has been used in Rotterdam for a long time. It was introduced there in 2002 and now covers large parts of Rotterdam-Zuid.

The tactic is controversial, with opposition and coalition parties on Rotterdam’s council having accused the city of ethnic profiling. Stop and searches in Rotterdam require at least three police officers at every search to guard against it.

Amsterdam dropped preventive searching in 2015, deeming it ineffective. The city has still used it repeatedly over the past year, in the red light district, over New Year and now twice in Zuidoost.