The Death of Seventeen-Year-Old Lisa is Leading to Questions from Residents in Several Municipalities About Safety On The Streets. A survey by nu.nl shows that many muticipalities are engaged in campaigns and investigations, but concrete measures of remain absent for the time being.
In Utrecht, Dordrecht, and Goirle, Among Other Places, More Reports Have Been Received from Women who Feel Unsafe on the Streets, According to a Survey by Press Agency ANP . Many people also made their voices heard in Tilburg, Oosterhout, and the Hague.
Lisa’s Violent Death in Duivendrecht Has Deeply Affected Many People. It is Initiating Conversations About Safety on the Streets. The Reports Help Municipalities Get An Idea Of Where The Places Are That Need Attention.
Improving Safety is Therefore High On The Agenda for Municipalities. Amsterdam Has Already Announced Measures. The Municipality of Ouder-Amstel, Where Duivendrecht is locationed, already placed extra cameras along the road where lisa was killed last month.
Leiden HAS Extended Existing Camera Surveillance, Partly Due to Lisa’s Death. And Maastricht is Focusing on More Enforcement Duration Actions in which people stand up for the safety of women.
But when ashed Whether More Municipalities Will Take Concrete Measures, Such As Installing Extra Cameras or Lighting, The Answer is “No”. This is equipment from a survey by nu.nl or several large muticipalities. Fifteen Municipalities Indicate that they are participating in Actions Such as ‘Reclaim the Night’ and the ‘Are you Okay?’ Campaign.
Mainly Focus on Awareness, But Discussions Are Still in Full Swing
Municipalities are Therefore Mainly Focusing on Awareness. “The Campaigns Are Aimed at Making the Safety of Women Discussable and Stimulating Reporting Behavior,” Maastricht Says. The Municipalities Hope to Improve Reporting Behavior With the Help of Online Forms and Apps, Among Other Things.
Althegh (not Yet) All Municipalities Have Set Out Concrete Plans, It Does Concern Theme. For Example, Utrecht is discussing the use of cameras on September 25. “There must be a good justification for this,” Says a spokesperson. “Cameras can increase the feeling of safety and they can contribute to supervision and enforcement. But a camera is not a miracle cure.”
Accordance to the spokesperson, a Broader approach is needed. He is Thinking of Better Lighting, Pruning Bushes, OR deploying Police or Enforcement Officers. “Only in conjunction can cameras be a supportive tool.”
Utrecht HAS also started a pilot project to work with women to look at which places in the city feel unsafe and what needs to be done to change this. In The Neighboring Nieuwegein, The Municipality Wants To Cycle Along Places with Residents to See What is Needed.
In Many Municipalities, from Den Helder to Middelburg, Discussions Are Being Held About Adjustments in Public Spaces. Residents are also Involved. They are looking at extra lighting in bicycle tunnels, among other things. Such Discussions are also Being Held in Breda About Additional Measures for the Safety of Women and Trans People.
In The Tilburg City Council, Consultations are also in full swing. For Example, Initiatives Are Being discussed for Improved Bicycle Parking Facilities and Safe Places On Nights Out. The Municipality is also mapping ‘hotspots’ with the help of reports about public spaces, including lighting, vegetation that blocks visibility and cameras.
Municipalities Point to Street Harassment Reporting Center
AltheHePersons Indicate That Lisa’s Death “Deeply affected” The Municipalities, They are not all setting Up Extra Investigations Into Safety on the Streets. For Example, The Case has not Led to More Research or the Implementation of Measures in Apeldoorn, Nijmegen, Eindhoven, Haarlem, Den Bosch, Ede and Leeuwarden, Among Others.
“We Base Our View of Safety on Studies That We Conduct periodically,” Den Bosch Reports. The Municipality Refers to existing Camera Surveillance and PreviOutly deployed Enforcement Duration Nights Out.
Many Municipalities Also Point to the Street Harassment Reporting Center. But Research by nu.nl Showed that the Enforcement of Street Harassment is Still Difficult. Municipalities say that they will be able to take targeted measures in the future based on that reporting center if this proves necessary. This includes Better Lighting, Adjustments in Public Spaces and Extra Supervision. But it is not that far yet in most communities.