More people feel unsafe in the Netherlands

More people feel unsafe in the Netherlands than two years ago. The number of people who fell victim to a traditional crime, like violence, theft, or vandalism, also increased, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported in its Safety Monitor 2023.

Last year, 35 percent of Netherlands residents said they felt unsafe in general and 15 percent felt unsafe in their neighborhood, compared to 33 percent and 13.9 percent in 2021. The feeling of insecurity increased the most in Flevoland, from 14 percent in 2021 to 17.5 percent last year.

In addition to Flevoland, residents of Zuid-Holland (17.7 percent) and Limburg (17.6 percent) were most likely to feel unsafe. Residents of Friesland and Drenthe have the greatest sense of security, with 10.3 and 10.5 percent reporting feeling unsafe, respectively.

Residents of larger municipalities are more likely not to feel safe. A fifth (19 percent) of those living in the 55 Dutch municipalities with over 70,000 residents feel unsafe, compared to the national average of 15 percent. Over a quarter of locals don't feel safe in Heerlen, Rotterdam, Roosendaal, Vlaardingen, and Schiedam. In Hoeksche Waard, Súdwest-Fryslân, and Meijerijstad, that’s less than 10 percent.

Last year, 19.9 percent of Netherlands residents aged 15 or older said they were victims of traditional crime, like violence, burglary, theft, and vandalism. In 2021, that had dropped to 17 percent - the lowest number in a decade. 2021 was in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, with lockdowns keeping everyone home and giving criminals less chance to strike.

The number of people who fell victim to traditional crimes in 2023 is almost back to pre-pandemic levels, CBS said. The same is true for the number of registered crimes.

The number of crime victims increased most in the Groningen province, from 16.3 percent in 2021 to 21.3 percent last year. People were most likely to be crime victims in Noord-Holland (23.6 percent) and Zuid-Holland (22.3 percent).

Amsterdam had the most registered crimes, with 61,000 cases of theft, burglary, violence, and vandalism. That amounts to 67 crimes per 1,000 Amsterdam residents. Tubbergen in Overijssel had the least at 5 crimes per 1,000 residents. The national average is 29 registered crimes per 1,000 inhabitants.