Rotterdam police offers cash reward for reporting guns to reduce shootings

In an effort to reduce the number of shooting incidents in Rotterdam, the city authorities are offering rewards for tips resulting in firearms being seized. Depending on the type of firearm found, the person who reported it to the police can receive a reward up to 750 euros.

So far this year, there were 72 shooting incidents in the Rotterdam region. "These incidents have a great impact on victims, relatives and witnesses", the police said in a statement. The Rotterdam triangle of police, mayor and Public Prosecutor therefore decided to introduce some unorthodox measures to try and prevent further shootings and casualties.

The reward scheme is an existing, but not well known option, according to the police. Last year tips to the Criminal Intelligence Team resulted in 4 automatic firearms, 34 hand guns, 23 fake guns and 5 tasers being seized. And 39 incidents in which "valuable information" was passed on to large investigation teams. To make sure that more people know about the reward system, the Rotterdam authorities will launch an information campaign next month.

From now on the Public Prosecution Service in Rotterdam can also designate a person as a safety risk if the authorities deem them a risk to their environment and safety in a city. Persons deemed a safety risk can be searched by the police under the Weapons and Ammunition Act. The Public Prosecutor will decide how long someone is deemed a safety risk based on individual circumstances.

"With this new measure, the police and judicial authorities expect to be able to remove more firearms from the street early and to prevent shooting incidents in public spaces", the police said.