Third of Dutch satisfied with the police's visibility, functioning in their neighborhood

Last year, 31 percent of residents of the Netherlands were satisfied with how visible the police were in their neighborhoods, while 21 percent were dissatisfied with this. 35 percent were happy with how the police functioned, while 8 percent were dissatisfied, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported in its biennial Safety Monitor on Friday. The percentages of satisfied residents were slightly lower last year than in 2021. Large groups of the population had no opinion on these matters.

People who see the police more often in their neighborhoods are more positive about how visible the police are. 9 percent of Dutch residents aged 15 and older regularly see police officers on the streets, and 79 percent of this group are satisfied with their visibility. 42 percent of residents rarely see the police, and only 16 percent of them are satisfied with the police’s visibility.

The police are more visible in urban neighborhoods than in the countryside. 18 percent of city dwellers say they see the police often, compared to 3 percent of residents in non-urban neighborhoods. Satisfaction with the police’s visibility is therefore also higher in more urbanized neighborhoods, though the differences are smaller than with how often people see a cop. This satisfaction ranges from 36 percent in the big city to 29 percent in a small town.

35 percent of Dutch people are satisfied with the functioning of the police in their neighborhood, while 8 percent are dissatisfied. 29 percent feel neutral about the matter, and 28 percent said they could not judge this.

32 percent agree with the statement that the police protect citizens in their neighborhoods (9% disagree). 28 percent agreed that the police take citizens seriously (6% disagree). And 35 percent said the police have little contact with locals (7% disagree). People are most divided on whether police cooperate well with locals (15% agree, 14% disagree) and tackle issues effectively (17% agree, 11% disagree).

In highly urban neighborhoods, 36 percent of residents are satisfied with the functioning of the police in their neighborhood, while 10 percent are dissatisfied. In non-urban neighborhoods, these figures are 35 percent and 7 percent, respectively.