Prosecutors have asked for a 12 year prison sentence against Mehmet I, who is suspected of murdering a 40 year old woman. Prosecutors say that Mehmet strangled the woman on June 14th last year and then decapitated the woman with a saw after they had both smoked crack on the back seat of his car.
The police found the body in a car at a BP station on the A1 motorway by Muiden. A witness told police that he heard an argument taking place in the back of a car at around 7am. He called the police, who then found the woman's body. Her legs were hanging out of the car and a saw was found.
A post mortem couldn't prove that the woman was alive when she was beheaded. Cocaine and amphetamine were found in the body, and experts said she was a regular drug user.
In the Pieter Baan Centrum (Psychological investigation hospital), Mehmet I refused to cooperate with psychologists, he was therefore declared to be of sound mind and fit to stand trial.
In 1998 he was sentenced to 6 years for drug dealing, and in 2001 he received 120 community service for having an illegal weapon.
Amsterdam Central - Cheap Amsterdam hotels, coffeeshops, smoking ban, clubs, escorts, red light district sex clubs
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Rembrandtplein to Get a Makeover in 2009
The Amsterdam Tourism Board announced on Sat. Dec. 27, 2009, that starting in January 2009, the city will implement plans to make the popular square more open, cleaner and safer. The rearrangement calls for removal of trees and gates to allow for the installation of a more open grass area suitable for picnics and events. The statue of Rembrandt will remain in its current location. The city hopes to finish the € 3.5 million project before summer 2009. So far, no word yet as to whether any coffeeshops or bars will be forced to close. With its many bars and nightclubs, the Rembrandt Square is on of the most famous squares in Amsterdam.
For 2009, the theme for Amsterdam 2009 is Amsterdam Art city, more on that at this site:
Mayor Cohen Solid Supporter of Amsterdam Coffeeshops
Mayor Cohen: “Regulating the backdoor is absolutely vital”
Amsterdam proposes the continuation of the current coffee shop system, but with the addition of a supplementary measure. The City urges for better regulation of the supply of drugs to coffee shops - the so-called 'backdoor' - in order to reduce the influence of organised crime. The supply chain should be closed in order to monitor where the drugs come from. Amsterdam also needs to implement the regulations required by the National Government placing a minimum on the distance between schools and coffee shops. These points and more are recorded in the memorandum Amsterdam Coffee Shop Policy 2008, recently drawn up by the Mayor and Aldermen. This memorandum provides a summary of the current coffee shop policy and evaluates the implementation of coffee shop policy in Amsterdam for a period of more than ten years. The memorandum will be released for publication and will soon be discussed in the City Council.
Although the sale of cannabis is an offence, coffee shops are not prosecuted provided they sell small quantities only and comply with the rules. The aim is to keep cannabis separate from hard drugs in order to protect cannabis users from exposure to hard drugs and the criminal elements who traffic in them. The City strictly enforces this policy of tolerance. Coffee shops are the most strictly regulated businesses in the hospitality industry, and owners applying for permits are subject to evaluations in compliance with the Public Administration Probity Screening Act (Wet Bibob). The city has also made very clear agreements with the coffee shops: they are not allowed to advertise or admit young people under the age of 18. There are no indications that coffee shops create proportionally more public order problems than other hospitality businesses in the city.
However, Amsterdam is concerned about possible organised crime influences in the supply of drugs; the so-called 'backdoor problem'. In the current policy, people who supply the cannabis to coffee shops are subject to prosecution. Mayor Cohen will therefore ask the National Office of the Public Prosecution Service to conduct an investigation into the matter.
The criterion that Amsterdam will implement for the distance between schools and coffee shops is a radius of 200 meters, with a minimum walking distance of 250 meters. There are currently 228 coffee shops in Amsterdam, including 140 in the Urban District ‘Centrum’. Initial estimates indicate that 43 coffee shops, including 26 in Centrum, do not meet the new distance criterion. The city will perform more accurate measurements in the near future. Those coffee shops located within the distance criteria will have until 31 December 2011 to cease operations.
The City government has decided that the distance rule will only apply to secondary education institutions, where the students are generally older than 12. Elementary education institutions have been excluded because elementary education students rarely use cannabis, and this measure would result in the forced closure of too many coffee shops. This would in turn increase the undesirable effects such as street sale of cannabis and place too much pressure on the remaining coffee shops in the city.
More than 25% of all coffee shops in the Netherlands are located in Amsterdam. A significant portion of the demand for drugs in Amsterdam, especially in the city centre, comes from tourists. Surveys among tourists indicate that 23% visit a coffee shop during their stay in the city. This does not result in disturbances to public order on the scale that towns on the border experience, due in part to the Amsterdam's distance from the border.
According to the policy memorandum 'Drug Use Prevention Amsterdam 2008-2011', the percentage of young people who use cannabis must be reduced from the current level of approximately 20% to around 15% by 2011. Amsterdam has planned a number of activities to achieve this goal. One of these is the drug education programme ‘De gezonde school en genotmiddelen’ ('Drugs and a Healthy School), which will be implemented in 70 secondary schools in Amsterdam next year, three quarters of the total number of schools in the city. Another project, ‘CIA’ (Cannabis Intelligence Amsterdam), has been developed especially for young people from immigrant backgrounds. CIA is a ‘peer’-project in which young people provide other young people with information on a voluntary basis. A third project, 'Wiet Wijs' ('Weed Wise'), is geared specifically towards young people involved in anti-truancy projects and social assistance programmes.
You can attend the meetings on Monday!!!
Quality for the heart of Amsterdam
This is a joint press release from the municipality of Amsterdam and city center
5 december 2008 December 5, 2008
- -- Herbert Raat Herbert Raat
The ambition to the zip code area 1012, safer, nicer and more liveable to be reality. 1012. There are proposals in the Strategy Coalition Project 1012; Heart of Amsterdam. In December 2007 the municipality of Amsterdam announced its plans for the zip code 1012. In recent years, this area more and more become the scene of organized crime. , The plans of the municipality is evident that there is still room for the sex industry and coffee shops, places only on clearly manageable. Mayor Cohen, Alderman Asscher, Stadsdeelvoorzitter Iping and portfolio Koldenhof have good cooperation in recent years to the plans worked.
Aanleiding Following
. The Coalition Project 1012 is a great project with far-reaching consequences for businesses, residents and visitors. The Municipality of Amsterdam believes that there is a crime and criminal infrastructure that is maintained and nourished by many criminogene facilities such as brothels, smart shops, money exchange offices, gokhallen, coffee shops, mini supermarkets, sex establishments and some restaurants.There are indications that it is a front for money laundering. . Regarding relatively much souvenir shops and mini-super markets are indications that the actual turnover of proportion to the market to rent. In addition, the drug trafficking problem and a major reason for the approach.
Kwaliteit Quality
. The municipality of Amsterdam wants the center a quality boost. It is a combination of small to large and diverse and international. There will be good to find hotels and shops, which offer high quality products. The 1012 area should be known to everyone as one of the most exciting, most diverse and most interesting centers of Europe. There will be a better balance between the different functions in the area. . It will eventually have to be attractive to a wider audience. . The present strength in monumentality and authenticity is strengthened. Samengevat zijn er vijf doelen: In summary, there are five objectives:
- dismantle the criminal structures
- the functions that are sensitive to reduce crime
- stop and reverse the degradation
- a good balance to restore functions
- a high-quality and various entrance of the city realize
Kansen Opportunities
. Spatial-economic point of view, there are many developments going on around the city center and in the Amsterdam region. The Southern IJ embankment is completed. The accessibility of the Stadshart with the North / South optimized. The opportunities are also recognized by players: Zeedijk NV, NV Good City, NV Stadsherstel, Ymere, the Key / Principaal, ING Real Estate, Corio, Am Estate, IPMMC, Redevco Netherlands, Stable International, Rabo Bouwfonds, ABN Amro, Fortis, Multi Real estate, Kroonenberg Group. They are all involved in the 1012 approach or have shown their interest. Parties as Victoria Hotel, Amsterdam, Bijenkorf but also cultural institutions such as Our Lord in the Attic and the Old Church develop concrete initiatives in line with the municipal ambition.
Aanpak Approach
The improvement of the quality of the town center arrested three ways: by creating so-called key projects, by refurbishing and improving public space and by choosing a street-oriented approach.
Eerste pijler: 9 sleutelprojecten First pillar: 9 key projects
At key places in the 1012 postcode area municipality will give space to (re) construction projects that contribute to the economic development of the city. The intention is a flywheel to launch aimed at improving the quality of the entrance area. They totaled nine key projects: Beursplein, China Town, Parking garage Geldersekade / Oosterdok, Oudekerksplein, Ons'Lieve Lord in the Attic, Victoria Hotel and the Land Office, Fortis Building Rokin, Amsterdam, Interior Hospital Land (UM). On the Oudekerksplein is just no room for prostitution. Artisanal activity, shopping, culture, art and catering for coming back. It is a beautiful and lively square with a large significance for the city center. Under the Beursplein is a bicycle and possibly an underground parking garage with connections between the Beurs van Berlage, the Beehive and C & A. The underground parking garage of the Beehive to create the direction Warmoesstraat space for a large number of additional shops and possibly housing.
Tweede pijler: openbare ruimte Second pillar: public space
A second important part of addressing the quality of public space. The 'heart of Amsterdam "should be an area where everyone feel welcome. A pleasant environment is important. Streets, parking lots, but also street lighting and public here determined the image. The base should again be addressed and that is: clean, and very safe. . Major streets such as the Zeedijk, the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, the Geldersekade and Oudekerksplein get a new device. De Rode Loper, het Damrak en Rokin staan hierin centraal. The Red Bishop, Damrak and Rokin specify central.
Derde pijler: straatgerichte aanpak Third pillar: street-oriented approach
With a street-oriented approach, the municipality of the criminal infrastructure and reduce unilateral economic structure. The streets are where the beginning of deprivation is visible. t . The number of window brothels is reduced and the coffee shops. By reducing and zoning of this type takes the manageability features and the criminal infrastructure can be further addressed. Also, there will be less smart shops, belwinkels, mini supermarkets, massage parlors, sex shops, sex cinemas, sex machines halls, sex theaters, souvenir shops and head shops are. The number is now too big. The existing monoculture to break create opportunities for a more varied interpretation. It is also intended to improve the quality within the catering industry in the region to implement.
Zoneren Zoning
: 1. Prostitution is reduced to two concise and gezoneerd areas: 1. De Oude Nieuwstraat en 2. The Old Nieuwstraat and 2. De Oudezijds Achterburgwal en zijstraten. Oudezijds Achterburgwal and side streets. This continues to supply half of existence. Prostitutes working in brothels that can go close through the Prostitution Health and P & G Health to do a 292. Also in the center, they can find information about other employment, legal assistance and exit opportunities. The same is true for coffee shops. In a phased approach be addressed streets. The number of coffee shops will be in the plans with up to half are reduced.
Persuitnodiging: Press Invitation:
. As Monday, December 8, the report further explained in a press presentation. You can also be present:
Locatie: Oudezijds Achterburgwal 78a Location: Oudezijds Achterburgwal 78A
Tijd: 09.15 uur Time: 09.15 hours
www.amsterdam.nl More exact data on the zoning can be read in the Strategy Coalition Project 1012 or www.amsterdam.nl
Meer informatie: More information:
Herbert Raat, Bestuursvoorlichting, 020 552 3245/ 0651206330 Herbert Raat, Policy Information, 020 552 3245 / 0651206330
Edwin Oppedijk, Stadsdeel Centrum, 020 552 4161/ 06 2285 3804 Edwin Oppedijk, City Center, 020 552 4161 / 06 2285 3804
