Dutch cops shot suspects 23 times, killing 4, in 2017

Police in the Netherlands discharged a firearm on 23 different occasions in 2017, killing four people and injuring 20, the public prosecutor revealed on Thursday. While the number of fatalities were the same as a year earlier, the number of times a person was struck by a police bullet dropped by 32 percent.

Officers shot and wounded or killed people 34 times in 2016, with 33 people treated for injuries. Nobody was killed by a police bullet in 2015, the prosecutor noted.

"Investigation into the use of force by police officers with serious consequences must be carried out objectively and carefully," a statement from the prosecutor said. "This is of great importance for victims and surviving relatives, as well as for the police officers involved."

A national crime unit working under the prosecutor's office handles all investigations into police-involved shootings where someone is hurt or fatally wounded. Upon completing their report, the prosecutor decides whether the use of gun violence was warranted.

Annual Police-Involved Shooting Statistics for Last Five Years

2017
Police shooting incidents with a victim: 23
Resultant injuries: 20
Resultant fatalities: 4

2016
Police shooting incidents with a victim: 34
Resultant injuries: 33
Resultant fatalities: 4

2015
Police shooting incidents with a victim: 30
Resultant injuries: 29
Resultant fatalities:: 0

2014
Police shooting incidents with a victim: 33
Resultant injuries: 31
Resultant fatalities (includes a suicide): 2

2013
Police shooting incidents with a victim: 33
Resultant injuries: 31
Resultant fatalities: 2