DAR AL HARB - NETHERLANDS: 61% OF VIOLENT CRIME IN THE NETHERLANDS IS COMMITTED BY MOROCCANS, TURKS, SURINAMESE & ANTILEANS

Non-Westerners Commit 61 Percent of Violent Crime in Netherlands

THE HAGUE, 19/07/07 - Non-Western immigrants commit 32 percent of all crime and 61 percent of violent property crime in the Netherlands. Moroccans are the most criminal of the four big immigrant groups, although Antilleans commit more crimes per head of their population, according to an analysis by the Justice Ministry's science bureau WODC of statistics from 2003.

Moroccans commit 8 percent of all crime, ahead of immigrants from Suriname (7 percent, Turks (5 percent) and Antilleans (4 percent). The 'other non-Westerners' category scored 8 percent. Adjusted for the size of the population, Antilleans however have the highest crime rates; in 2003, 11 percent of Antilleans were crime suspects, followed by Moroccans (9 percent), Surinamese (7 percent) and Turks (4.5 percent).

Although 'only' 32 percent of all crime is perpetrated by non-Westerners, they account for 61 percent of theft, robbery and burglary involving violence. Twenty percent of suspects here are Moroccans, 13 percent Surinamese, 9 percent Antilleans, 6 percent Turks and 13 percent other non-Westerners.

Of all crime committed by perpetrators aged 13-25, about 40 percent is perpetrated by non-Westerners. Of all 18 year old Moroccans, 33 percent committed crime in 2003. This was 22 percent among Antillean, 15 percent among Surinamese and 11 percent among Turkish 18 year olds.

Age-crime curves follow more or less the same pattern for all immigrant groups, but there are two significant exceptions, said WODC. For Moroccans, the age-crime curves "demonstrate a remarkably high peak in the second half of their teens". The second exception is that the crime rates among Antilleans continue to be high in their 30s and 40s. "An evident drop in crime rates in this population group does not occur until after the age of forty." Of 40 year old Antilleans, 18 percent committed crime in 2003.

Antilleans distinguish themselves negatively particularly in drugs and arms offences and property offences involving violence. Moroccans clearly top the league as suspects of theft, vandalism, threat and disorderly conduct. For virtually all types of offence, Turks, Surinamese, Moroccans and Antilleans have "a significantly higher chance of becoming a suspect" than the 'white' Dutch population. "This applies to both the first and the second generations, and to both adults and minors," according to WODC.



Pertinent Links:

1) Non-Westerners Commit 61 Percent of Violent Crime in Netherlands