15 convicts with outstanding sentences arrested
The police recently detained 15 convicts which together had to serve a total of 22 years in prison and transferred them to a penitentiary. The coronavirus and measures to curb its spread made it somewhat easier to track these fugitives down, the police said.
"Because of corona, a fugitive convict is also limited in his or her freedom of movement. And when you move, your visibility increases. In many cases, this led to the identification of the whereabouts of our target group, with the result that 15 people are now serving their sentences imposed by the judge in the penitentiary institution or paying their outstanding claims," said a spokesperson for FASTNL, the team responsible for tracking and arresting fugitives.
All arrested fugitives were men and between the ages of 24 and 67. They were detained throughout the country, including in Amsterdam, Amstelveen, Diemen, Enschede, Heerlen, Rotterdam, Venlo, Zaandam, and Zoetermeer. They were convicted of all kinds of crimes, including drug crimes, property crimes, sex offenses, money laundering, and fraud.
"FASTNL wants to do justice to the citizens' sense of justice. Anyone who has been convicted irrevocably must serve his or her sentence. Nobody is untraceable," the spokesperson said.
As an extra precaution against coronavirus infections, the police borrowed a bus from the correctional institution service DJI to transport the detained convicts and adhere to social distancing measures. "We also took all precautions to be able to work safely."
