Sharp drop in anonymous crime reports; Back to pre-pandemic level

The Netherlands’ anonymous tip line Meld Misdaad Anoniem forwarded 18,857 reports to the police and other investigative authorities. That is significantly less than the around 25,000 tips in the previous two years but back to the pre-pandemic level, the hotline said on Tuesday.

“The monthly average has now returned to the ‘old’ level. People often think before they report; they weigh up their own pros and cons. And it seems that now once again, they are more likely to be hesitant,” Marc Janssen of Meld Misdaad Anoniem said.

Over half of last year’s tips, 10,241, were drug-related, ranging from international drug smuggling to synthetic drug labs or cannabis plantations to drug dealers on the street. The second most reports (2,009) were received in the violent crimes category - assault, mugging, shooting, stabbing, for example. And 1,377 tips involved financial crimes like money laundering.

The tip line also received 1,580 tips as a result of investigative TV shows like Opsporing Verzocht. Most of these involved wanted suspects. “These are often violent crimes with a major impact on the victims and those around them,” Janssen said. “The footage shown has a great impact on viewers personally, but also on their sense of security in the community. This encourages them to want to contribute to solving these kinds of serious cases.”