Putting an end to trouble caused by unruly Dutch-Moroccan children and teenagers will take at least another generation, said the mayor of the town of Gouda on Wednesday.

The council of the town near Rotterdam was discussing the unrest caused by a persistent group of troublemakers. The main problem, according to Mayor Wim Cornelis, is that the parents of misbehaving youngsters are failing completely to discipline their children. The youths, aged between 8 and 15, are roaming the streets and terrorising local residents in new neighbourhoods like Gouda's Oosterwei.

School kids attacked
The latest incident involved a schoolchildren's street party on Saturday, which was disrupted by a number of young Dutch-Moroccan hooligans. They stole flower bulbs intended for a planting ceremony and pelted the children with them. Last year the town suspended bus services through parts of the city after drivers and passengers were harrassed.

Gouda mayor Wim Cornelis told councillors that over the past years a number of measures had been introduced to stem the problem, ranging from the appointment of street coaches and family counsellors to setting up neighbourhood watch projects and a safe house. Although figures show that the measures have increased public security, they have failed to improve the situation in general.

Street bans
The trouble will not end with the recent incidents, Mayor Cornelis warned. The town council is pinning its hopes on new area bans announced by Security and Justice Minister Ivo Opstelten. "But it is not certain that such bans could be brought in against under-12s," the mayor said.

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