Dutch police excessively target ethnic minorities: Report

Ethnic minorities are disproportionately often stopped by the police, according to a study by Police & Science. In many cases these checks are unjustified, the report states according to NU.nl.

A third of police checks are based on a presumption by a police officer that something is going on. Stereotypes very often play a roll in this. "They justify their use of this by referring to their experiences in police work ad the information they receive about crime perpetrators." according to the report.

According to the researchers, ethnic profiling "unintentionally contributes to inequality in society". They advise that the police make addressing this a priority. More money should also be invested into raising awareness among police officers.

The report also shows that these "proactive checks" seem to work in about 30 percent of cases, though the police officers think it more successful. Police officers also often underestimate the social costs of these checks.

Ethnic profiling was again a topic of discussion in the Netherlands after reports that rapper Typhoon and football player Kenneth Vermeer fell victim to it. Both were pulled over because their skin color combined with their expensive cars made police officers suspicious.