Better safety measures for houses, cars and bicycles

One quarter of the Dutch population was the victim of common crime such as violence, vandalism and theft  in 2004. One quarter also felt unsafe sometimes, which is the main reason that they have taken measures on a wide scale to prevent burglary and theft.  The Dutch have been taking more measures to secure their homes, cars and bicycles in recent years. The number of crime prevention measures have increased in the last decade.

Measures to prevent break-ins

Burglary prevention rises slightly

Nearly all people take measures to repvent their home being broken into. Only 5 percent of the population do not. Four out of five people had outside lighting and had secured doors and windows with safety and mortise locks in 2004. One in seven people had door and window shutters and one in six had a guard dog. One in eleven homes had a burglar alarm. The increase in the share of people taking crime prevention measures has levelled off somewhat since 2000.

Cars with starter interrupt/car alarm by age of driver

Car security

More and more drivers are securing their cars against theft. In 2004 more than half of all cars had a starter interrupt system or an alarm. In 1999 this was still only one in three. Middle-aged drivers in particulars - in the age group 45-64 years - were most likely to take these measures.
Younger and older drivers (18-24 years and over 65) were least likely to have fitted their car with a starter interrupt or car alarm.

Theft prevention chip more popular

Many methods have been applied to prevent bicycle theft. Seven out of eight people in the Netherlands own a bicycle, and nearly all of these are fitted with a safety lock. Engraving the owner’s postcode on the frame is less widespread. A new measure to prevent theft is building in a chip. In 2004, 6 percent of bicycle owners had a bicycle with a built-in chip.

Henk Hendriks