Nearly 13,000 incidents of violence against police officers last year

In 2022, police officers in the Netherlands faced nearly 13,000 incidents of aggression and violence targeted at them. The total number of incidents is comparable to previous years, but the police noticed a shift. They recorded more violence in the nightlife crowd, at events, and at football matches.

Last year, there were 12,895 such incidents, compared to 12,940 in 2021. The number of times aggressive people in the nightlife crowd attacked cops tripled, increasing from 470 in 2021 to a massive 1,579 last year. Violence against police officers at events increased from 29 incidents in 2021 to 147 last year and around football matches from 161 to 278.

According to the police, these shifts are partly due to coronavirus restrictions. During the pandemic, people couldn’t attend football matches, go clubbing, or attend festivals, among other things. So there were fewer incidents around these venues in 2020 and 2021.

By far the most incidents of violence against cops, 5,082, happened during “unplanned arrests.” The police linked this increase to more demonstrations. “Especially since corona, people have reacted more strongly to the uniform. Within groups of demonstrators, for example, people cross that line more often. Like it’s almost okay to assault a cop,” a riot police officer commented.

Police officers are also increasingly experiencing doxing - people putting their contact details and other private data online to harass and intimidate them. “Totally unacceptable,” said Peije de Meij, in charge of the Violence Against Police Officers file at the police. “Doxing affects not only colleagues but also their home front and the police organization. The police are taking preventive measures and supporting victims as best they can.”