Rotterdam region has the most street gangs with 193, including 11 which are involved in crime. The Amsterdam police area has 12 criminal gangs

The police are keeping a close eye on 1,800 street gangs, at least 100 of which are involved in serious crimes, report several Dutch newspapers on Tuesday. The figures come from an investigation carried out by RTL news.According to the council of chief police officers, the police cannot deal with all the gangs and need hundreds of extra police to cope with the trouble they cause.Many police forces are concerned at the age of gang members and several report that children younger than 12 are joining, and sometimes even leading, the groups.They are also unhappy that parents are not willing to cooperate with them on alternative punishment and seem happy to pay fines and take their offspring home.Eric Akerboom of the chief police officers council told Radio 1 news on Tuesday morning that arresting the gang members is not enough. 'You also have to do something with the family,' he said.The Rotterdam region has the most street gangs with 193, including 11 which are involved in crime. The Amsterdam police area has 12 criminal gangs, the highest in the country, says RTL news.

Posted in: Dutch newspapers