Fireworks possession ban difficult to enforce
The current ban on setting off fireworks in the Netherlands is inadequate. An offender can only be arrested after setting off fireworks in front of enforcers, who can’t respond to loud bangs in the distance. Mayors from municipalities in the province of Gelderland therefore want to impose a ban on the possession of fireworks instead.
For this kind of ban to be enforced, it needs to be endorsed by politicians in The Hague. If a municipality introduces its own ban, this ‘may result in overlap with national rules’, argues Professor in Local Government Geerten Boogaard.
Boogaard says it will be down to the court to make the final decision once a municipality has opted to ban the possession of fireworks. A similar situation in Schiedam saw the court overturn the municipality's decision.
As a result, this ban could only be imposed if national politics gives municipalities the necessary authority to do so. Boogaard: ‘If the legislation actively gives municipalities the freedom to ban the possession of fireworks, then it’s certainly possible.’
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Read the full RN7 article (in Dutch)
Photo: Lewis Zhao through Unsplash