Amsterdam police warn of rise in crime involving people who have “nothing to lose”

Police in Amsterdam say they have seen a growing number of incidents in the city center in recent years involving two main categories of behavior: public nuisance and criminal activity, including shoplifting and violent or threatening conduct. Authorities attribute the trend to individuals who, in their words, feel they have "little to nothing left to lose."

The statement, issued in response to reporting by Dutch newspaper Het Parool, describes a mix of disturbances ranging from disruptive behavior in public spaces to shoplifting, threats, intimidation, and physical violence. Police did not specify individual cases but characterized the pattern as increasingly frequent in central Amsterdam.

According to the police, one part of the group involved consists of labor migrants, particularly from Eastern Europe, who came to the Netherlands for work but subsequently lost both employment and housing. After that, some end up living on the streets and drifting through the city.

A broader group, police said, includes people struggling with addiction, as well as young asylum seekers who are either still in the asylum process or have exhausted legal avenues and now face what authorities described as a “hopeless existence.”

In a written response, police said: “It seems to make no difference to these people what the possible criminal consequences of their actions are, and the willingness to take risks is high.”

Authorities described the situation as part of a wider social problem rather than purely a policing issue. “It would greatly help if there were a national approach to the various issues,” the police added, calling for coordinated action at the national level.