Sharp rise in reports about people with disturbed behavior

In the first half of this year, the police received over 96,000 reports about people exhibiting disturbed behavior. That is a 17 percent increase compared to the same period last year. Although the number of incidents has been growing steadily for years, a peak of this magnitude has not occurred since the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

The number of reports increased in most municipalities. Among the 20 largest municipalities, the strongest rise was in Zaanstad, where reports increased by more than half year-on-year. Almere was the only one of the 20 largest municipalities that saw a decrease in reports. Reports decreased slightly, from 1,103 in the first half of last year to 1,081 in the same period this year.

The municipality of Amsterdam had the most incidents by far, with over 6,800 reports. Rotterdam and The Hague followed.

Earlier this year, Police Chief Janny Knol said that the police are being overwhelmed with problems that cannot be solved by the police and the criminal justice system. She then called for the appointment of a government commissioner or a commission that would “take a broad look at the changing security issue and come up with new solutions.”

ANP asked the police for a reaction to the most recent figures, but they have not yet responded.