Gov't pushes more money into helping victims of violent crimes

The government is giving the Public Prosecution Service more money to hire more coordinators to support victims of violent crimes, Minster Sander Dekker for Legal Protection said in a letter to parliament. The number of these coordinators will eventually double from 40 to 80, NOS reports.

The coordinators assist victims and relatives through legal proceedings. They help victims make their wishes known in the criminal proceedings and they provide information about the rights that those involve have. They can also refer victims to Victim Support Netherlands if they need it.

Currently coordinators only help victims of serious crimes like murder, manslaughter or sexual offenses. Dekker wants to expand this to also include other crimes that have a major impact on those affected, such as assault or robbery. This expansion will start next year.