More police staff and innovation needed to tackle crime in Amsterdam
4 years, 10 months ago

More police staff and innovation needed to tackle crime in Amsterdam

Dutch News  

A shift towards less visible law-breaking such as cybercrime and a lack of police staff are making crime more difficult to tackle in Amsterdam, the Parool reports. New trends, such as knife crime and cybercrime, demand innovative measures but police and the justice department are struggling with a lack of staff, mayor Femke Halsema said during the annual press conference on behalf of the prosecution office, the mayor’s office and police. Knife crime in the capital is also a worrying trend, the mayor said, although no figures are available for the number of youths armed with knives or other weapons. The city has issued knife bans in parts of Amsterdam Oost, Zuidoost and the centre, and police are helping schools check pupils’ lockers, as well as developing more targeted search strategies, the paper said.

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History of this topic

Dutch police investigating 133 homicides in 2024, Amsterdam total doubles to 20
2 weeks, 2 days ago

Dutch police investigating 133 homicides in 2024, Amsterdam total doubles to 20

NL Times  

A total of 133 individuals were killed by violence in the Netherlands this year as of Tuesday afternoon, up 6 percent from the total for all of 2023, according to police data provided to NL Times. The provisional figures put the national homicide rate at roughly 0.74 deaths per 100,000 residents based on the population at the start of 2024, …

Mayor Femke Halsema expects rise in drug crime in Amsterdam over the next decade
1 year, 2 months ago

Mayor Femke Halsema expects rise in drug crime in Amsterdam over the next decade

NL Times  

Organized drug crime in Amsterdam is at risk of further growing in the next decade, Amsterdam's mayor Femke Halsema reported in a letter to the city council on Thursday. She noted that organized drug crime's influence is growing, with residents witnessing a rise in gun violence, shocking killings, and more frequent neighborhood explosions and attacks. It also remains challenging to …

Foreign criminal gangs increasingly involved in property crimes in the Netherlands
1 year, 6 months ago

Foreign criminal gangs increasingly involved in property crimes in the Netherlands

NL Times  

Foreign criminal gangs are increasingly getting involved in property crimes in the Netherlands. Based on previously unreleased police data, accessed by Omroep WNL's NPO Radio 1 program, Het Misdaadbureau, it was reported that in 25 percent of property crimes committed last year, the suspect identified was neither born in the Netherlands, possessed a Dutch address, nor held Dutch nationality. The …

Crime in Amsterdam still below pre-pandemic levels despite 17% increase
1 year, 10 months ago

Crime in Amsterdam still below pre-pandemic levels despite 17% increase

NL Times  

The police registered a 17 percent increase in crime in the Amsterdam region last year, but the number of crimes is not yet as high as before the coronavirus pandemic. Tackling organized crime remains one of the biggest challenges for Amsterdam, wrote Mayor Femke Halsema on their behalf in a letter to city council. "Every year they start younger and …

Capacity problems forced Amsterdam police to drop 1,400 cases last year
2 years, 2 months ago

Capacity problems forced Amsterdam police to drop 1,400 cases last year

NL Times  

The police in the Amsterdam region could not pick up 1,375 cases last year because they had too few staff to conduct an investigation, mayor Femke Halsema announced in response to questions from D66 city councilors, AT5 reports. The city councilors asked her about the situation in the Amsterdam police after NOS reported that the police are dropping more cases …

Amsterdam police to tackle rise in shootings & explosions at ATMs, cafes, and homes
2 years, 4 months ago

Amsterdam police to tackle rise in shootings & explosions at ATMs, cafes, and homes

NL Times  

Police in Amsterdam will set up two new teams to tackle the criminal underworld that has led to a series of explosions in the capital amid an apparent rise in organized crime. Police chief Frank Paauw told the newspaper that the two new teams will be needed to tackle the use of explosives to rob ATMs, but also extortion, gang …

Demonstrations lead to police using more force and weapons last year
2 years, 9 months ago

Demonstrations lead to police using more force and weapons last year

Dutch News  

Dutch police used force in 18,477 separate incidents last year, up 2,000 on 2020, according to new police figures. The police came into action in almost 15 million registered incidents last year and used force in just 0.12% of them. At one point the UN’s special rapporteur on torture described video showing Dutch riot police restraining a demonstrator during a …

Demonstrations lead to police using more force and weapons last year
2 years, 9 months ago

Demonstrations lead to police using more force and weapons last year

Dutch News  

Dutch police used force in 18,477 separate incidents last year, up 2,000 on 2020, according to new police figures. The police came into action in almost 15 million registered incidents last year and used force in just 0.12% of them. At one point the UN’s special rapporteur on torture described video showing Dutch riot police restraining a demonstrator during a …

Overall crime up in 2019; Dramatic surge in online fraud
4 years, 7 months ago

Overall crime up in 2019; Dramatic surge in online fraud

NL Times  

The number of reported cases of internet trading fraud​ surged in the Netherlands in 2019, rising 31 percent on the figures of the previous year, the police announced on Wednesday. The figures follow the release of the Netherlands' 2019 crime statistics, which saw the overall number of registered crimes in the country jump by nearly four percent after many years …

Stabbings among teens double in Rotterdam
4 years, 10 months ago

Stabbings among teens double in Rotterdam

Dutch News  

The number of stabbings involving teens in the Rotterdam region has doubled in a year, police figures requested by broadcaster NOS have shown, Police recorded 36 incidents in which knives were used in 2019, compared to 19 the year before. Amsterdam police do not distinguish between the weapons used in incidents involving teens but has a clear insight into the …

Stabbings among teens double in Rotterdam
4 years, 10 months ago

Stabbings among teens double in Rotterdam

Dutch News  

The number of stabbings involving teens in the Rotterdam region has doubled in a year, police figures requested by broadcaster NOS have shown, Police recorded 36 incidents in which knives were used in 2019, compared to 19 the year before. Amsterdam police do not distinguish between the weapons used in incidents involving teens but has a clear insight into the …

Rotterdam, Amsterdam see mass increase in weapon incidents involving minors
4 years, 10 months ago

Rotterdam, Amsterdam see mass increase in weapon incidents involving minors

NL Times  

Amsterdam and Rotterdam saw a major increase in the number of minors involved in incidents with weapons over the past years. The number of stabbings in Rotterdam involving underage victims and suspects doubled last year. And the number of underage suspects in weapon incidents in Amsterdam increased by 50 percent since 2017, NOS reports based on figures from the local …

More police staff and innovation needed to tackle crime in Amsterdam
4 years, 10 months ago

More police staff and innovation needed to tackle crime in Amsterdam

Dutch News  

A shift towards less visible law-breaking such as cybercrime and a lack of police staff are making crime more difficult to tackle in Amsterdam, the Parool reports. New trends, such as knife crime and cybercrime, demand innovative measures but police and the justice department are struggling with a lack of staff, mayor Femke Halsema said during the annual press conference …

Twenty violent deaths in Amsterdam last year, fewer property crimes
4 years, 10 months ago

Twenty violent deaths in Amsterdam last year, fewer property crimes

NL Times  

Amsterdam saw a 43 percent increase in the number of murder and manslaughter cases last year, as well as a slight rise violent crimes. After years of structural decline in the number of reported crimes, this downward trend seemed to come to a halt last year, mayor Femke Halsema said in a letter to the city council. The total number …

Registered crimes sees first increase in nearly a decade
5 years ago

Registered crimes sees first increase in nearly a decade

NL Times  

In total, over 800 thousand crimes were reported to the police in the Netherlands last year, an increase of 4 percent compared to 2018, according to annual figures the police released. According to the police, there may be various reasons for the increase in reported crime, including an actual increase in crime, changes to the way the police register different …

Invest in youth development to prevent organized crime: Dutch police chief
5 years ago

Invest in youth development to prevent organized crime: Dutch police chief

NL Times  

The police noticed a striking increase in young offenders over the past year, according to annual figures released on Wednesday. More and more young people are turning to online fraud to make some quick cash, or walking around with weapons on the street - a worrying development, according to National Police Chief Erik Akerboom. "We have to invest in young …

More than 9,300 incidents over New Year's: police
5 years ago

More than 9,300 incidents over New Year's: police

NL Times  

New Year's in the Netherlands was marred by incidents like arson, vandalism, and violence against police officers and other first responders. A total of 300 people were arrested, slightly fewer than the 309 people arrested last New Year's, the police announced on Friday, NU.nl reports. But this decrease is not representative of the increasingly grim atmosphere in the country on …

Amsterdam to close police stations at night, as officer shortage bites
5 years, 1 month ago

Amsterdam to close police stations at night, as officer shortage bites

Dutch News  

At least two Amsterdam police stations are to be closed at night and special teams focusing on cannabis cafes, and on transport crime, are being disbanded because of a shortage of police officers, mayor Femke Halsema has told city councillors. The city needs an extra 500 police officers and by stopping some operations, officers can be freed up to concentrate …

Amsterdam to close police stations at night, as officer shortage bites
5 years, 1 month ago

Amsterdam to close police stations at night, as officer shortage bites

Dutch News  

At least two Amsterdam police stations are to be closed at night and special teams focusing on cannabis cafes, and on transport crime, are being disbanded because of a shortage of police officers, mayor Femke Halsema has told city councillors. The city needs an extra 500 police officers and by stopping some operations, officers can be freed up to concentrate …

New approach needed to tackle Amsterdam's drugs crime, mayor admits
5 years, 4 months ago

New approach needed to tackle Amsterdam's drugs crime, mayor admits

Dutch News  

Amsterdam’s mayor Femke Halsema says she recognises that the fragmented approach currently used to tackle drugs-related crime in the Dutch capital has not worked and that a concerted, united effort is needed. A united approach, she added, will involve ‘stamina and years of effort.’ The report is based on the findings of police academy professor Pieter Tops and research journalist …

New approach needed to tackle Amsterdam's drugs crime, mayor admits
5 years, 4 months ago

New approach needed to tackle Amsterdam's drugs crime, mayor admits

Dutch News  

Amsterdam’s mayor Femke Halsema says she recognises that the fragmented approach currently used to tackle drugs-related crime in the Dutch capital has not worked and that a concerted, united effort is needed. A united approach, she added, will involve ‘stamina and years of effort.’ The report is based on the findings of police academy professor Pieter Tops and research journalist …

Seven police-involved shootings in first half of 2019; fatalities same as last year
5 years, 4 months ago

Seven police-involved shootings in first half of 2019; fatalities same as last year

NL Times  

In the first half of 2019 the Rijksrechreche investigated seven police-involved shootings. In all of 2018 there were 27 police shootings with 26 injuries and three fatalities, the Public Prosecutor announced on Monday. The Rijksrecherche, an investigation service that forms part of the Public Prosecution Service and conducts internal investigations at government services like the police, investigates all incidents in …

Amsterdam to take measures against firearm violence
5 years, 5 months ago

Amsterdam to take measures against firearm violence

NL Times  

The Amsterdam triangle of mayor, police and judiciary shares the city council's concerns about the increasing firearm violence in the city and will soon announce additional measures, the triangle said. Over the past weekend, there were no fewer than four shootings - a man was injured in a shooting on Dickenslaan in Zuidoost on Saturday, a shooting was reported on …

Amsterdam councillors call for debate following rise in gun violence
5 years, 5 months ago

Amsterdam councillors call for debate following rise in gun violence

Dutch News  

Amsterdam city councillors want to hold a speedy debate with officials following a rise in gang-related violence in the past few weeks. There have been five shooting incidents in Amsterdam in the past four days – three of which took place in the city’s Zuidoost district. Sentences Last week it emerged that Amsterdam judges have reached an agreement to impose …

Amsterdam politicians want emergency gun violence debate after shootings
5 years, 5 months ago

Amsterdam politicians want emergency gun violence debate after shootings

NL Times  

The entire city council of Amsterdam wants an emergency debate on measures against gun violence after a series of shootings in the city over the past weeks. We therefore want to express our horror at the increasing violence", the party leaders in the city council said in a joint statement, AT5 reports. In the statement, the city councilors referred to …

More violent incidents against Dutch cops
5 years, 9 months ago

More violent incidents against Dutch cops

NL Times  

Last year there were 10,593 incidents of violence against police officers in the Netherlands, the police said in a statement. "We do see that police officers experience a fair amount of aggressive behavior on the street", said Ruud Verkuijlen, who is in charge of the portfolio on violence against police officers. "The figures also show that police officers, especially during …

Amsterdam has highest crime rate in NL but Limburg dominates top 10
5 years, 10 months ago

Amsterdam has highest crime rate in NL but Limburg dominates top 10

Dutch News  

Amsterdam has again topped the annual league table of municipalities with the worst crime rates, but Limburg has the highest concentration with four of the top 10. The Limburg communities of Sittard-Geleen and Roermond entered the top 10, joining Maastricht and Heerlen, with the latter rising from ninth place to fifth to overtake its larger neighbour. The ranking table is …

Amsterdam has highest crime rate in NL but Limburg dominates top 10
5 years, 10 months ago

Amsterdam has highest crime rate in NL but Limburg dominates top 10

Dutch News  

Amsterdam has again topped the annual league table of municipalities with the worst crime rates, but Limburg has the highest concentration with four of the top 10. The Limburg communities of Sittard-Geleen and Roermond entered the top 10, joining Maastricht and Heerlen, with the latter rising from ninth place to fifth to overtake its larger neighbour. The ranking table is …

Amsterdam to focus more on drug crimes in approach to young repeat offenders
5 years, 11 months ago

Amsterdam to focus more on drug crimes in approach to young repeat offenders

NL Times  

The Amsterdam municipality, police and prosecutor are expanding the city's Top 600 list - used to curb young criminals - to include drug criminals and perpetrators of excessive violence. Drug criminals are currently not included in the Top 600 list due to criteria established in the past, Halsema said. "But because we think that drug crimes will have a major …

Crime figures in NL continue to fall; decrease slowing down
5 years, 11 months ago

Crime figures in NL continue to fall; decrease slowing down

NL Times  

Continuing the trend of past years, the number of registered crimes in the Netherlands dropped in 2018. The last two months of the year saw an "above average increase" in robberies, according to the police. "An explanation for this could lie in the increasing attention and openness in society with regard to sexual violence, which makes people report more quickly", …

Staff shortages made Dutch police drop 16,000 cases this year: report
6 years, 1 month ago

Staff shortages made Dutch police drop 16,000 cases this year: report

NL Times  

The police dropped over 16 thousand investigations this year because they did not have enough detectives available to investigate them. "We have to make choices every day", Rob van den Broeke, district manager at the criminal investigation department, said to NOS. The over 16 thousand cases the police permanently dropped involves "simpler cases" such as an assault without injury, shoplifting …

Amsterdam is 'lawless urban jungle' after dark, according to city ombudsman
6 years, 5 months ago

Amsterdam is 'lawless urban jungle' after dark, according to city ombudsman

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Amsterdam has become blighted by crime and lawlessness, according to the city’s official ombudsman, Arre Zuurmond. …

Police failing to solve two-thirds of knife crime as figures soar
6 years, 6 months ago

Police failing to solve two-thirds of knife crime as figures soar

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Politicians and youth workers accused the government of failing to act on the rise …

Invisible Crimes Loom Over Amsterdam, a Silent Threat
6 years, 11 months ago

Invisible Crimes Loom Over Amsterdam, a Silent Threat

NL Times  

Amsterdam authorities are concerned about a shift towards more invisible forms of crime in the city. Invisible crimes are actions that are criminal in nature, but are socially embedded in neighborhoods and often out of the control and sight of the government. The authorities are particularly concerned about conflicts in the drug world, with crimes leading to arms trade, money …

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