Four times as many young people arrested with weapons as in 2019

The police arrested 1,268 young people up to the age of 18 this year for illegal possession of weapons, a sharp increase compared to four years ago, according to the police. In 2019, there were 315 minors arrested for similar crimes. The police are concerned about the fact that more and more young people are being arrested for the illegal possession of weapons.

The number of knives and other stabbing weapons seized rose from 33 to 355 in the past four years. In 2019, the police confiscated 27 firearms from young people, a figure which soared to 144. The police said that it is difficult to identify the actual number of firearms young people possess based on these figures.

Possession of prohibited fireworks is also included in the overall figure. In 2022, more than 50 percent of the illegal possession of weapons among young people involved fireworks. That share is decreasing: in 2019 the rate was still 74 percent.

Martin Sitalsing called the figures “worrying.” He is the police leader responsible for how the department handles issues related to care and security. Sitalsing said the numbers are “unfortunately not surprising. Police officers on the street experience daily that young people find it increasingly normal to carry a weapon.” On average, the police arrest three to four minors a day who have a weapon with them.

The police cited the increase in threats of violence on social media and the glorification of weapons ownership and violence in drill-rap music as two of the reasons for the increase in gun ownership. The police themselves are also searching social media more often for signs of weapons possession. "This increased attention can also be an explanation for the increase," said Sitalsing.

“Carrying weapons should never be considered normal,” said Sitalsing. "If you have a weapon in your pocket, you are more likely to actually use it. With all the risks of serious injury or even death." Last November, for example, a 14-year-old boy in Hoorn died from a stabbing incident at his school, for which a 16-year-old suspect was arrested.

The police are trying to prevent young people from owning weapons by checking more people for them, sometimes as a “preventive search,” Sitalsing said. The police and municipalities also organize weapon surrender campaigns, where people can hand in their weapons anonymously and with impunity.