The number of reports and reports of sex crimes continues to rise

ANPSexual harassment in the workplace

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 12:01

The number of reports of sex crimes rose further last year, to more than 3,400. This concerns rape and other forms of sexual violence, such as incest and assault. In 2021, 3100 declarations were received, compared to 2900 a year earlier.

The number of reports rose to more than 15,000 last year, the police confirm after a message in the AD. Two years ago there were about 13,000 reports, a thousand more than in 2020. Reports concern, for example, transgressive behavior that is not necessarily punishable. As a result, a report does not always lead to a report.

Trend up

Before 2020, the number of reports and reports was stable and no increase was visible, says Caroline Monster, Sexual Offenses program manager at the National Police. “Now there is a persistently high inflow, there is a slow upward trend.”

Part of the increase is due to the scandal at TV program The Voice of Holland, which came to light last year. “That fueled it,” says Monster, who emphasizes that it’s good for people to speak up. Due to the increased attention, there are also more reports of facts that happened longer ago.

More than half a year

The police aim to send sexual abuse cases to the Public Prosecution Service within six months. This is currently not possible in 856 cases, but that number has hardly increased compared to 2021.

These are matters where, for example, additional research is still being carried out, says Monster. “Things are becoming increasingly complex, partly because more research is being done digitally than before.”

More notifications

The police assume that the number of reports will increase further in the future due to a new law, which should come into force next year. This makes more forms of involuntary sex punishable.

That puts extra pressure on the vice detectives, says Monster. “We do get extra money from politicians, but that doesn’t always mean extra people immediately. We also have to deal with a staff shortage. We have to make do with the people we have.”

Source