Burglary victims often feel abandoned by police: report

Victims of burglaries are often not informed by the police about the progress of the investigation, NU reports based on the annual AD Misdaadmeter (Crime Meter). Most victims are not informed about whether a suspect was caught or whether the investigation was stopped. According to a survey conducted by EenVandaag Opinipanel, 70 percent of victims are not satisfied with how their case was handled. According to the organization, the police do not have the capacity to address these issues. "How can you ever find a culprit if you do not even bother to collect trace evidence?" board member Victor Jammers said. "Victims feel that they are totally not taken seriously." According to the police, burglaries get top priority as they have a great impact on citizens. The police considers the chance of the crime being solved based on clues such as trace evidence and description of the culprit. The police also states that anyone who reports a crime will in principle be informed about what the police are doing on the case within two weeks. First by telephone or by letter if the victim is unreachable. Informing citizens in this way was initiated last year. The number of burglaries has dropped sharply in the last few years, amounting to 71 thousand last year. Eleven percent of burglaries are solved.