NCJ Number
70837
Date Published
1980
Length
115 pages
Annotation
The report analyzes the victim surveys conducted annually in the Netherlands from 1974 through 1979 and discusses the willingness of the population to report offenses to the police as well as police policy on official reports.
Abstract
Beginning with an overview of the purposes and design of a victim survey, the report describes the national victim rates for 1977 and 1978 and then compares them with equivalent statistics for 1973 to 1976. The report estimates that the average Dutch persons's chance of becoming a victim is one in 5.15. Data are detailed for the following offenses: bicycle theft, moped theft, theft from cars, theft of cars, pickpocketing, burglary, indecent assault, threatening behavior in a public place, innocent party in a collision with a motor vehicle, and vandalism. Differences between victim rates in various parts of the Netherlands are examined, with particular attention to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht. Population groups which displayed relatively low or high victim rates are examined, and a model for analyzing the risks of becoming victims of crime appear greater the more they participate in social activities outside the home. An assessment of notification rates indicates that the public because of pessimism concerning police ability to catch the offender, as well as his successful prosecution in court. Using data on the percentage of persons who made signed statements, the policy regarding official police reports at the national and local level is discussed. A model is then described which explores the relationships among the Public Prosecutor's policy on whether to prosecute, police policy on official reports, and reporting patterns among the population. Finally, results of the victim surveys are compared with police statistics, and it is concluded that police data cannot be used as a gauge of petty crime. Tables illustrate the statistical data, and footnotes and over 50 references are included.