Amsterdam’s mayor has banned a convicted criminal from parts of the city because he runs the risk of being shot dead in a gangland killing.

The man’s name is on a crime death list, the city’s police chief Pieter Jaap Aalbersberg told local broadcaster AT5. He has now been banned from entering certain areas and will be arrested if he does so.

The banning order is not to protect the man himself but to ensure the safety of others if he is the target of a hit squad. ‘He is a potential victim but he chose to become involved in criminal activities,’ Aalbersberg said.

It is the first time a known criminal has been banned from parts of the city because his presence could form a risk to others.

There were dozens of gangland killings in Amsterdam in 2013 and 2014 but a sharp drop last year.