More burglaries in Netherlands for first time in years

The number of burglaries increased for the first time in years. From January to September, burglars broke into homes 17,300 times. In the same period last year, the police registered 16,100 burglaries. That’s an increase of over 7 percent, according to an ANP analysis of police figures.

According to the police, there is “a direct link” with the coronavirus measures. Many people worked from home during the pandemic. “The number of residential burglaries was exceptionally low in 2021. When the measures disappeared at the beginning of 2022, the burglaries increased again. We are now slightly lower than around the same time in the pre-coronavirus year 2019. But we expect to hit over 25,000 residential burglaries this year,” said Sybren van der Velden, the national project leader for home burglary at the police.

The number of burglaries increased sharply in Drenthe (+41 percent), Flevoland (+35 percent), and Overijssel (+28 percent) compared to 2021. Limburg (-8 percent) and Zuid-Holland (-1 percent) saw a decline.

At the municipal level, Meppel in Drenthe stands out. Up to and including September, there were 90 burglaries in the municipality. In the same period last year, there were only nine. The number of burglaries quadrupled in Montfoort (province of Utrecht) and Achtkarspelen (Friesland), although the numbers were still small in these municipalities.

Relatively speaking, burglars struck most often in Laren, Meppel, Bloemendaal, and the municipality of Gooise Meren in the past nine months.

Despite the increase, the number of burglaries is still much lower than in years past. Five years ago, for example, there were twice as many burglaries as this year.