January 04, 2006

DUTCH CRIME COSTS OVER 20 BILLION EURO


Since Aruba is governed by Dutch law, read this!


Crime costs Dutch society over 20 billion euro

20 December 2005

Crime cost Dutch society over 20 billion euro in 2004, a figure matching the situation in other countries. Approximately five million offences were committed against people in the Netherlandsand four million against companies and institutions last year. The number of official police reports rose by 8% for the period of 1995-2004, but the number of suspects interviewed by the police showed an even sharper increase of 44%, according to the 2004 report on crime and law enforcement that was recently published by the Justice Ministry’s Research and Documentation Centre and Netherlands Statistics.

More than 20 billion euro is equivalent to over 1,200 euro per citizen. Total costs include: battling crime in society (21% or 4.2 billion euro), preventive measures by private individuals and companies (16% or 3.3 billion euro), and damage caused to companies, private individuals and government (63% or 13 billion euro). Government expenditure in this context rose to 70% for this period.

Other countries show similar figures. The average amount of money spent on crime per capita ranges between 1,100 and 1,700 euro for England& Wales, Canadaand Australia. The United Statesis an exception to this rule with 7,000 euro per capita.

The ratio between spending on preventive action, damage and judicial response in Australiaand Canadais almost identical to the ratio in the Netherlands. English and American people relatively spend more money on damage.

Offences

Approximately five million offences were committed against Dutch citizens and four million against companies and institutions in 2004. In that same year, the Dutch police drew up more than 1.3 million official reports and questioned nearly 360,000 suspects. Nearly 79,000 transactions were agreed between the suspect and the Public Prosecution Service, the courts convicted almost 125,000 suspects, which included 33,000 non-suspended prison sentence orders, 2,000 unconditional juvenile detention orders, 35,000 community service orders, 51,000 unconditional fines and 11,000 unconditional driving disqualifications. The sum total is higher; that is because courts often impose a combination of sanctions such as a fine plus a driving disqualification.

Interviewed Suspects

The Dutch met with a slight increase in the number of crimes committed between 1995-2004; from 4.5 to 4.7 million, a rise of 5%. In that same period, the number of police official reports rose roughly from 1.2 to 1.3 million, an increase of 8%. The number of suspects interviewed by the police showed a much sharper increase of 44%. This increase is mainly the result of violent crimes, vandalism offences and crimes against public policy and public authority. The number of punishments, including transactions, grew considerably more than the number of official reports, from 172,000 to 227,000, an increase of 32%. Particularly the growth in the number of community service orders by both the courts and the Public Prosecution Service has made a contribution in this respect.


Law enforcement

Bringing offenders to justice

The Ministry is committed to achieving a just and safer society, for instance, by drafting and enforcing legislation. But society will only become safer as long as people and businesses are prepared to observe the law, and it is the Ministry’s task to encourage them to do so. Most people are law-abiding citizens, but not everyone. The Ministry helps to make our society safer by apprehending offenders and bringing them to justice, or in other words by applying law enforcement.

Seeing that justice is done

People feel safer if they know that crime does not pay. The Ministry is investing in visible police presence and credible law enforcement in order to protect the general interests of the public. The Ministry is also putting a lot of effort into a firm approach to crime. It works closely with other parties to minimise the opportunities for violating the law by providing adequate government control. This means: good supervision, in the form of more surveillance at street level, for example. But also: effective methods for apprehending criminals, on the spot penalties for violations and the swift processing of criminal cases. The rules become clear if they are properly enforced.

Over the past few years, the Ministry has devoted special attention to legislation in this area, for example, preventive frisking for weapons, or extending the scope of the rules on DNA testing. It has also stepped up its efforts to improve police services, the Public Prosecution Service and the judiciary. Moreover, prison capacity has been increased to ensure that offenders are brought to justice promptly.

The Ministry is doing its utmost to solve more crimes. This applies to visible forms of crime such as crime against life, robbery and mistreatment, as well as to less visible offences such as money laundering, fraud and corruption. The issue of computer crime also needs urgent attention. The national criminal investigation department is responsible for tackling serious and organised crime at the national level. And all in the interests of a safe society.

The Ministry issues licences to private security firms and investigation services and grants powers of investigation to special investigating officers, thereby vouching for their reliability and competence.

Victim support

Restoring confidence

Every year, many people become the victim of crime and it often takes time for them to regain their trust in society. They need to be informed and they need assistance, and in some cases, they also need counselling. The better the support, the sooner people will regain their faith in the world and their confidence in the law enforcement system. People need to see that justice has been done.

A good beginning ….

Help is given to victims of crime as soon as they report an incident to the police. Entering a police station is easy and specially trained officers provide support designed to make it easier to explain what has happened. The police can also refer victims to a victim support scheme if they wish, where they will be offered practical help and emotional support. The police can also explain how they can claim compensation.

Victims of serious crime can complete a statement describing the damage they have suffered. This statement is included in the criminal file concerned. The victim’s statement may be read out during proceedings, thereby representing the victim’s own viewpoint. The Dutch Victim Support Agency provides help in completing a statement of this kind.

Every court district has a special desk run by the Ministry and the police where victims can enquire about the progress being made in their case or add any details they may have forgotten to report when initially reporting the offence.

… is half the battle!

Compensation is an important aspect of victim support. If a case is relatively straightforward, the victim can join in criminal proceedings as the injured party. They can complete a special form detailing the extent of the damages suffered as a result of the crime. Victim support agencies and legal aid offices can provide free assistance in completing the form, which is then sent to the Public Prosecutor’s Office. In some cases, claims can be dealt with by a claims officer working for the Public Prosecutor’s Office, who mediates between the offender and the victim regarding payment of the claim. If mediation proves unsuccessful, or if parties fail to agree on the level of damages, the case will go to court, where the offender may be ordered to pay damages. The Central Fine Collection Agency then collects the amount due from the offender and passes it on to the victim.

People who suffer injuries as the result of violent crime and who have no other way of obtaining compensation can apply to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund.

Complete and comprehensive

Victim support revolves around information, effective assistance and compensation. The Ministry and the police do their utmost to provide information and assistance in all cases.

The matter of compensation depends on whether an offender is apprehended and whether he has the means to pay damages. The Ministry makes every effort to recover compensation payments via the Central Fines Collection Agency, thereby providing victims of crime with the most complete and comprehensive assistance possible.

Fair, consistent and effective

A person who violates the rules must be punished. Imposing custodial sentences and detention orders are just two examples of the ways in which the Ministry of Justice helps to keep society safe. The Ministry ensures that all penalties are fair, consistent and effective.

Punishment…

…is necessary to protect society, to compensate the grief suffered by victims and to satisfy people’s sense of justice. The Ministry ensures that prison sentences are served without disruption and as completely as possible. Another important aim of penalties is to make sure that offenders do not revert to crime after rejoining the mainstream of society.

Punishment to fit the crime….

There are many different types of punishment. Every situation, every crime and every offender is different; the punishment must be made to fit the crime. The Ministry does not only impose measures designed to remove or curb the offender’s freedom, but also penalties such as community service orders, fines, administrative sanctions and out-of-court settlements. Mentally disturbed offenders may be placed under hospital orders. This is a measure designed for people who have committed a serious crime, but who cannot be held responsible for their actions, or who have a strongly diminished responsibility. This means that they cannot be made (fully) accountable for their crime due to an underlying personality disorder and/or serious mental disturbance.

The Ministry’s Custodial Institutions Agency is responsible for enforcing custodial sentences in prisons, secure institutions for the mentally disturbed and institutions for juvenile offenders.

Probation

Probation is an important aspect of the punishment process. The aim of probation is to promote the reintegration of offenders into society, thereby reducing the risk of recidivism. (It is a well known fact that probation DOES NOT reduce the risk of recidivism...having a degree in Political Science and Criminal Justice, I know this for a fact.) Its main tools are community service and reintegration programmes, but it also supervises people convicted of offences after their release from prison. The Child Care and Protection Board, family supervision agencies and youth probation organisations all play an important part in the after-care provided for juvenile offenders.


Building a safer society

The Ministry of Justice is working towards creating a safer society, but it cannot do this on its own. It relies on the public, the corporate sector and other government bodies to do everything within their power to prevent and reduce crime. The Ministry encourages their efforts by working closely with a variety of other agencies.


Inquiries, screening and analysis

The Ministry is of the opinion that government and the corporate sector should work together effectively to combat crime. It therefore conducts inquiries and analyses to assess the nature and extent of crime within the various sectors of industry.

Integrity is of paramount importance for the public, the corporate sector and government. The Ministry does its best to safeguard integrity. It does so, for instance, by screening all individuals and organisations applying to set up a legal entity (possibly a private limited company). Statutory measures are also in place to prevent the abuse of legal entities.


Public violence

Safety on the streets is important to us all. Street violence forms a threat to our safety. The Ministry, together with other organisations, informs the public on the appropriate measures to take should they witness a violent incident. It also advises organisations on matters such as how to lay down a code of conduct.

People must feel safe in their own neighbourhood. The ‘Justice in the Community’ project was developed for problem areas, and is another way of making people aware of the Ministry’s presence at street level.

Petty crime at a very early age can sometimes lead to more serious forms of juvenile crime. The Halt scheme is one of the ways in which the Ministry is addressing problems of this kind.


Domestic violence

The problem of domestic violence has received widespread publicity in recent years. The Ministry wants to prevent domestic violence. To some extent, the problem must be dealt with at local level. Early detection of domestic violence can counteract its escalation. This requires close cooperation between local authorities, the police and the welfare services.


No comments: