People with a non-Dutch origin more often say that they have been checked by the police in the past year than people with a completely Dutch origin. Moreover, they are less likely to believe that officers treat them “calmly, respectfully and correctly”, it calculates Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) on Friday based on a survey. People who were either born abroad or have at least one parent from abroad are more likely than average to think that their origins, skin color or appearance were a reason for the check. Young men in particular with roots in Morocco, Turkey or Suriname stated that they were checked relatively often.
Statistics Netherlands also states that in 2023 more people felt unsafe than two years earlier. More respondents said they had been victims of traditional crime, such as violence, theft and burglary, and vandalism. Last year, 20 percent of respondents reported having been victims of this type of crime, an increase of 3 percentage points compared to two years earlier. At the time, this percentage was at the lowest level in ten years – possibly due to the corona pandemic and lockdowns, which meant that many people were at home more often. Traditional crime is currently “almost back” to 2019 levels, writes CBS.
These statistics come from the so-called Safety monitor 2023. This biennial survey, this time conducted among more than 180,000 Dutch people aged fifteen years and older, covers themes such as quality of life, safety and crime victimization, and was commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and Security. The questions about police checks were asked for the first time in 2023. As a result, no comparisons can be made with previous years.