Dutch Police Chief calls for reform after fatal stabbing of 11-year-old in Nieuwegein
The fatal stabbing of an 11-year-old girl in Nieuwegein has reignited concerns over how the Netherlands handles individuals with severe psychiatric disorders. The suspect, 29-year-old Hamza L., was known to authorities for past violent behavior. Police Chief Michel de Roos says systemic changes are needed to prevent similar tragedies, de Volkskrant reports.
“We lost an 11-year-old girl who will never come back. A devastated family. A neighborhood in turmoil. And a psychiatric patient now sitting in a cell,” said De Roos, the deputy chief of the Midden-Nederland police. “This is not an isolated incident. It is the result of a failing system. If politicians do not make fundamental choices to improve psychiatric care, this will happen again.”
The attack occurred Saturday afternoon as the young victim, Sohani, was walking to meet a friend. Witnesses described a sudden and brutal assault in broad daylight. Police were alerted at 2:47 p.m. and arrested L. just 15 minutes later.
Residents had previously reported L. to authorities for his erratic behavior. He was known for shouting in the streets late at night. One neighbor told NRC he had been chased by L. just two days before the attack. When he called the police, he was reportedly told that no patrol car was available.
The case quickly became a political issue. “The police? They didn’t show up,” said PVV leader Geert Wilders in the Tweede Kamer on Tuesday. “And look at the consequences.”
De Roos dismissed accusations of police negligence. “There are unfounded claims being made, and that affects our officers. We’ve been saying for a decade that this system needs to be addressed.”
Officers had responded to previous calls about L., De Roos said, but without immediate criminal activity, they were limited in their actions. “We get more than 35 reports per day about people displaying disturbed or incomprehensible behavior—15,000 cases a year. If there is acute danger, we respond immediately. But if it’s a general concern, it gets passed to local teams and mental health services.”
L. had been flagged in the Zorg- en Veiligheidshuis, a collaborative agency where police, municipalities, and health services discuss complex cases. He was registered there a month ago after moving from Haaglanden to Nieuwegein.
“We talked about him in meetings with healthcare workers,” De Roos said. “We worked closely with them, and they did everything they could.”
De Roos argued that police officers are being asked to manage psychiatric cases without the necessary expertise or resources. “We want to focus on investigating criminal gangs, which benefits society. But we are being pulled away by these incidents involving psychiatric patients. Officers are not trained to make mental health assessments.”
De Roos pointed to systemic failures, including a shortage of psychiatric professionals available 24/7 to assess individuals immediately, a fragmented care system that leaves responsibility unclear as patients are shuffled between institutions, and a lack of appropriate housing for high-risk individuals who cannot safely live in family neighborhoods.
The Netherlands has shifted toward outpatient psychiatric care over the past decade, reducing the number of institutional beds. De Roos said this transition has left a gap in care, increasing police involvement and incidents of violence.
“Arrest teams are now frequently deployed for cases involving mentally ill individuals. That’s not their purpose. We want to use minimal force, especially with patients who need care,” he said.
The case has drawn comparisons to past failures in the mental health system. In 2015, a report on the murders committed by Bart van U., who killed former politician Els Borst and his sister, Loïs, highlighted systemic failures. Despite promises of reform, subsequent reviews found that little had changed.
“How do we ensure this time is different?” De Roos asked. “It’s up to politicians to make those decisions. But for us, enough is enough. Every day, our officers are dealing with people in crisis. Every day, we are being blamed for a problem we cannot solve.”
The Tweede Kamer has requested a formal response to the case, delaying further police comments. De Roos, however, emphasized the urgency: “If nothing changes, this will happen again. And once again, people will point fingers at the police or mental health services. But that won’t fix the real problem.”
