Councillors have stepped up calls for a forensic clinic to be rehoused in the wake of a string of incidents, including the arrest of a patient suspected of stabbing a 76-year-old woman to death.

Zeist council convened a special meeting to discuss concerns about security and conditions at the Den Dolder clinic, which is run by Fivoor.

A 44-year-old man escaped from the facility last Sunday, but was traced and returned a few hours later. The man was the subject of a court-imposed compulsory treatment order.

Another patient, a 27-year-old man, was arrested on January 2 after allegedly murdering an elderly woman in Den Dolder while on release.

The clinic was placed under supervision by the justice ministry after a convicted sex offender, Michael P., raped and murdered 25-year-old Anne Faber in 2017 while being treated by Fivoor.

On Tuesday the facility was temporarily closed after failing a building inspection. The 32 patients have been transferred to other clinics around the country.

Plans for a permanent move from Den Dolder, as promised by the government in the wake of the murder of Anne Faber, have been put on hold because no other municipality was prepared to accommodate Fivoor.

No empathy

Councillors accused the company of not being in control of security at the clinic and showing no empathy for patients, creating uncertainty both in the facility and the neighbouring village.

Marcel Fluitman, chair of the Christian Democrat (CDA) group, said of the weekend escape: “When I read it I thought it: this can’t be true. How can someone with a psychiatric history slip through the net and take off?”

Mayor Joyce Langenacker said security could not be guaranteed at the clinic and the executive council would be taking extra supervisory measures.

“The incident at the weekend is an example. The situation is not under control. I find that concerning,” she said.

Poor communication

Councillors also criticised the lack of communication between the clinic and the local authority and called for the executive to be open about discussions about security.

Jan Bredius, of local party Nieuw Democratisch Zeist, said the government had failed to honour its pledge to move the clinic out of Den Dolder by 2027.

He called on the mayor, king’s commissioner and local residents to put pressure on junior justice minister Ingrid Coenradie, who is responsible for the system of secure clinics used to treat offenders, to come up with a solution.

The issue was also raised in parliament by VVD MP Ulysse Elian, who asked Coenradie during ministers’ question time how she planned to restore order and securiity in Den Dolder.

The minister would not be drawn on whether she intended to close the facility, but said she would be “intensifying” discussions with Fivoor.