From August in Heerlen, Brunssum and Landgraaf new street coaches
Starting August 1, Atmosphere Coaches from the Alpha Group of Venlo will take to the streets of Heerlen, Brunssum and Landgraaf. With their arrival, they will take over the work of Secutor's former street coaches. The new cooperation came about after a careful orientation in which extra attention was paid to checking integrity requirements. The Alpha Group is a party with regional ties and has a clear vision of street coaching. They have also taken over the street coaching work in Venlo and the first experiences there are positive.
The reason for the reorientation was the termination of cooperation with the security company Secutor Security B.V., after reports of the company's possible involvement in a drug and money laundering network were made public through the media on February 5, 2025. The municipalities of Heerlen, Brunssum and Landgraaf then immediately suspended the contract with Secutor and have not purchased any services (street coaches or private security) from them since then. As a result, new street coaches had to be brought in. Atmosphere coaches from Alpha Group were chosen because of a combination of factors; a quick start date, flexible deployment, vision for street coach work, internal training and quality of staff.
Cooperation across municipal boundaries
By working together in the deployment of street coaches, we increase the power to tackle youth nuisance across municipal borders. Because youth nuisance does not stick to municipal boundaries, Mayor Wever of Heerlen, Mayor Van der Rijt of Brunssum and Mayor De Boer of Landgraaf chose to join forces for this purpose.
Street coaches contribute to reducing and clarifying youth nuisance in public spaces. They work in pairs and are recognizably present on the street, so that nuisance youths can move through the city less anonymously. They seek out (groups of) young people and address them in an approachable manner. They show respect to young people and expect respect in return. The street coaches develop a relationship of trust with young people, from which they can positively influence their behavior and limit it where necessary. A street coach is in touch with the target group of young people. He or she speaks their mother tongue and street language as much as possible and therefore makes easy contact with them, as well as with local residents and entrepreneurs. This contributes to a safer and more liveable environment in Heerlen, Brunssum and Landgraaf.