Last year, in the run-up to the turn of the year, only half as many young people were sentenced to Bureau Halt for messing with fireworks than a year earlier. The number of ‘firework punishments’ at the agency that combats juvenile crime has never been so low.
In 2021, 690 young people received a Halt sentence for setting off fireworks, according to figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). A year earlier there were twice as many: 1400. In both years there was a fireworks ban due to the corona pandemic and the pressure on healthcare. By way of comparison: in 2005, when measurements were taken for the first time, 5,080 young people were sent to Halt because of rowdiness around fireworks.
According to Statistics Netherlands, it is not clear exactly what the sharp drop in fireworks offenders among young people between the ages of 12 and 18 will be experiencing in 2021. Compared to 2020, more fireworks were sold last year and there were also more accidents.
Less priority for the police
Possibly fewer young people were arrested because it was hardly a priority for the police. Last year, the police announced in the run-up to New Year’s Eve that they would not enforce much. “That could be a logical explanation, but we cannot prove it from the figures,” says CBS expert Luuk Hovius.
Incidentally, the total number of Halt sentences handed out, for example for shoplifting or vandalism, also decreased in 2021. Compared to 2020, this fell by a quarter to roughly 10 thousand young people. These figures fit the picture that youth crime has been decreasing for years. by no less than 57 percent in the past decade.
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