Number of sex crime reports increased 60% in five years

In the first six months of this year, the police received 17 percent more reports of sex crimes than in the same period last year. The number of reports of sexual offenses rose to nearly 8,000. The number of charges resulting from such reports increased by 22 percent, according to the most recent figures provided by the police to ANP. Between January and July, over 2,000 charges were pressed, compared to 1,675 in the same period last year.

It is unclear whether sex crimes are actually occurring more frequently or whether more people are willing to report them, said Lidewijde van Lier, a sex crime specialist at the police. “We only know how many people report to us, not how many people become victims of a sexual offense.” According to Van Lier, people seem more willing to seek help and contact the police. This may be the result of “increased attention to the issue and the public debate that has arisen about it.”

The introduction of the Sexual Offenses Act, in addition to the increased attention paid to the issue, may also be a cause of the increase in reports. Van Lier: “Since 1 July 2024, criminal liability has increased, specifically when there are clear signs that someone doesn’t want sex, but the other person persists. Coercion is no longer a requirement for criminal liability.” After the law’s introduction, the police immediately saw a significant increase in the number of reports and complaints. “That appears to be continuing this year.”

This increases the “already high pressure” on the police’s sex crime units. “Police officers in the vice squads experience that pressure daily,” Van Lier said. Nevertheless, she considers it positive that more people are reporting to the police. “Especially after the introduction of the new law, more crimes are punishable, and we can therefore provide better assistance.”

Regarding the “recent, serious sexual offenses in our country,” Van Lier said that in most cases, the victim and perpetrator know each other. “Incidents where the victim and perpetrator are complete strangers and someone is attacked out of the blue are the least common.”

In the second half of last year, the police received roughly the same number of reports and charges pressed as in the previous six months. In the second half of 2023, there were around 7,000 reports, and 1,700 charges pressed. The first half of 2022 saw a peak after two years of COVID-19, with around 8,200 reports and 1,900 charges pressed. According to the police, that peak was mainly caused by the sex crime scandal on The Voice of Holland.