Serious crime down 10% nationwide

According to a statement by the police the number of recorded crimes in the Netherlands over the past six months declined with 4 percent compared to the same period last year. The police publishes crime figures every six months. To reach a good comparison, the figures are compared to the figures for he same period of the previous year. The number of crimes that have a large impact on victims, such as burglaries, robberies and violent crime, has fallen by almost 10 percent. Over 155 thousand suspects were transferred to the Public Prosecutor, given a fine or referred to Bureau Halt. Robberies decreased with 25 percent compared to the first half of 2013, street robberies by 16 percent. The police recorded 36 thousand burglaries (including attempted burglaries), thus the number decreased by 16 percent. Drug dealing decreased by 6 percent and arms dealing by 9 percent. The number of violent crimes such as assault and public violence decreased by 3 percent. Motor vehicle theft decreased by 2 percent, and the number of thefts from motor vehicles by 9 percent. When called out to an emergency, the police arrived at the scene within 15 minutes in 86 percent of the cases, as opposed to 85 percent in 2013.