DAR AL HARB - NETHERLANDS: CRIME IS INCREASING IN THE NETHERLANDS - - - YES THE ARTICLE IS ABOUT 4 MONTHS OLD, BUT CONTAINS INTERESTING INFORMATION...

Dutch Say Crime On The Increase

THE HAGUE, 06/02/07 - In 2006, 27.5 percent of the Dutch stated that they had fallen victim to crime. Youngsters and residents of strongly urbanised areas were relatively often targeted.
The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) made the figure public yesterday. CBS could not provide comparative figures for 2005. The bureau did state, however, that the figure for 2006 was higher than that for 2004 (25.4 percent) and 2003 (25.6 percent). This is striking, since the government announces each year that crime figures have fallen further.

In 2006, around 5 percent of victims fell prey to violent crimes (assault, threats, sexual harassment) and 12 percent to crimes against property (burglary, bicycle theft, robbery). Among car users, 14 percent became the victims of car theft, break-ins or vandalism last year.

Youngsters are more frequently victims of crime than older people. Among 15 to 24 year olds, 42 percent were victims. In the age group of 25 to 44 year olds, this was 33 percent and among residents over 45 years, it was 19 percent. Men fall prey more often (29 percent) than women (26 percent).

In urban areas, 33 percent stated they had encountered crime in 2006, compared to 23 percent in less urbanised areas. The same percentages applied to areas where people frequently moved house (33 percent) versus areas with a small number of house moves (23 percent).


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1) Dutch Say Crime On The Increase