Number of minors suspected of crimes continues to fall

Last year, fewer underage suspects came to the attention of the police and justice system than the year before. The total dropped by 3 percent, to just over 27,000 minors, according to a report on crime figures from the Research and Documentation Centre (WODC), Statistics Netherlands, and the Council for the Judiciary.

In the last decade, the number of underage suspects fell by 28 percent, a larger decline than that seen for total suspects over the same period, although the decline in the past year was smaller (-3 percent compared to -6 percent).

The number of penalties and sanctions imposed by the police, the Public Prosecution Service, and the courts has also dropped significantly over the ten years (-37 percent).

Of the more than 27,000 underage suspects, over 5,000 received a sanction directly from the police last year, mostly in the form of a referral to Halt, a program that offers minors an alternative to criminal prosecution through education and community service. Almost half of the minors were suspected of property crimes, such as theft and burglary. The courts issued 3,600 sentences over the same period.

The WODC reported last year that criminals and suspects are not necessarily becoming younger, nor are they more frequently involved in serious violent incidents. The centre did add, however, that “there may be a trend toward younger offenders for certain types of crimes or in particular regions.”

The report further notes that “crime levels across the board” are lower than they were ten years ago. The overall number of offenses did rise, especially in the past year. While reports of public nuisance stayed about the same as in 2023, recorded cases of nuisance increased by 44 percent.