Number of crime victims stable

03/03/2014 15:00

One in five people victims of crime
Fewer victims of vandalism
More cyber crime victims
Slightly more people tend to feel unsafe in their own neighbourhood

In 2013, one in five residents aged 15 years and older indicated they had been victims of common crime (violent crimes, crimes against property and vandalism) during the past year. The proportion was the same as in 2012. In recent years, the number of victims has fallen marginally, as the annually published Safety Monitor, a joint publication by Statistics Netherlands, the Ministry of Security and Justice, the National Police Force and municipalities shows. The Safety Monitor deals with citizens’ experiences and perceptions with respect safety rather than with the registration of crime by the police.

One in every fourteen residents (7 percent) indicated they had been victims of vandalism in 2013, i.e. just below the level recorded in 2012 (8 percent). This is predominantly due to a reduction in vehicle vandalism. The share of violent crime victims (2.4 percent) and victims of crimes against property (14 percent) hardly changed relative to 2012.

The number of cyber crime victims grew marginally. The cyber crime rate was 13 percent in 2013, versus 12 percent in 2012. The proportion of people who reported they had been scammed while buying or selling goods or services online grew marginally. The number of people who indicated they had been victims of identity fraud was marginally reduced.

The crime rate was relatively high among residents of the regional police units of Amsterdam (30 percent), the central part of the Netherlands (21 percent) and The Hague (21 percent). Crimes against property were most common in these regions. The share of crime victims in 2013 remained the same as in 2012 across all regional units.

With 37 percent, the proportion of people who reported they occasionally felt unsafe was the same as in the previous year, but more people felt less safe in their own neighbourhood. Last year, 19 percent of residents at times felt unsafe in their own neighbourhood, versus 18 percent in 2012. More people said they did not answer the door in the evening (8.7 and 8.1 percent respectively), because they did not feel safe. The number of people indicating that youths hanging out in their neighbourhood caused much trouble declined from 7 to 6 percent.

Last year, 58 percent of residents were positive about their most recent contact with the police, the same percentage as in 2012.