The Netherlands – In 2022, 15,500 reports of sexual assault or rape will be made, which is more than in recent years. In particular, the attention surrounding the Voice of Holland and the broadcast of BOOS have resulted in more victims reporting to the police. They do everything they can to provide the right care and to investigate cases. ‘But this is also a social task. If people just keep their hands to themselves, we won’t have a job.’
In 2020, the police received 12,000 reports and reports. In 2022 there were 15,500. There has been a particularly large increase in the number of reports and reports of sexual assault and rape. According to Caroline Monster, Sexual Offenses program manager at the police, this increase can be explained by the fact that more space and attention has been given to discuss these sex crimes. Monster: ‘After the publicity surrounding the Voice of Holland, the number of reports rose sharply and the influx remained high afterwards.’
Offer help
‘It is positive that victims know how to find the police,’ says Monster. ‘We also make sure that we talk directly with them to find out what their needs are and that we immediately start the necessary care. If the victim wants to report the crime, we start that process. The aim is to present cases involving criminal offenses to the Public Prosecution Service within six months. Unfortunately, this is not always possible, but that does not mean that these things have come to a standstill. The complexity of cases has increased, which means that collecting evidence takes more time.’
Monster notices that the workload is high, both at the police, partners in victim care and the criminal justice chain. ‘Last year we submitted 20 percent more cases to the Public Prosecution Service, but the number of reports and declarations also rose by 20 percent. We must all agree that it is a social task. Simply put, if people just keep their hands to themselves, we won’t have a job. As a society, we have to talk about what we consider normal, where the boundaries lie and what is really not allowed, so that we also ensure that fewer boundaries are crossed.’
New Moral Law
This is all the more urgent because the number of reports and reports is expected to increase when a new law comes into force early next year, which makes rape a criminal offense more quickly. Having sex without explicit mutual consent is then punishable. ‘The law makes it easier to report, also for digital sex crimes. But the evidence remains the same and that is very difficult in many sexual abuse cases.’
In the meantime, the police, including the Public Prosecution Service, Victim Support and the Center for Sexual Violence, are doing everything they can to provide the victims with the care they need and to handle cases. Specifically for the vice squad, 12.5 million euros has been made available to attract extra employees and that is now being done in full, ‘but the labor market is currently tight and that makes it difficult to attract new people. In the past, it was mainly within the police detectives that moved on to this specialist field, but that is happening less now because detective teams also have to deal with shortages. We are now focusing more on the outside, looking for specialized employees, for example for our front office or people with digital expertise.’
‘In addition, we also have to take a more critical look at the reports and declarations themselves. How feasible is a study? Can we gather enough evidence? What we continue to do is to take care of every victim and provide the help he or she needs. Whether that is with a conversation, a referral to the right care or a request for prosecution of the perpetrator.’
Information source: Politie.nl
