Victim Studies of the Center for Scientific Study and Documentation From 1974 to 1979 - Report on a Yearly Study of the Extent and Type of Petty Crimes in the Netherlands, on the Willingness of the Population To Report Crimes and on the Police Policy Regarding Official Crime Reports

• NCJ Number: 79139
• Author(s): J J M vanDijk; C H D Steinmetz
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 81 pages
• Corporate Author: Netherlands Ministerie Van Justice
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Country: Netherlands
• Note: Onderzoek en beleid series, number 13.

Annotation

The results of yearly victim surveys by the States of the Netherlands from 1974 to 1979 are summarized.

Abstract

The study intends to provide an alternative to police statistics for assessing the extent of criminal activities in the Netherlands. Victimization trends for 1977 and 1978 are reported and compared to trends in the period 1973 to 1976. Twelve specific crimes and the circumstances of their occurrence are then characterized. The study investigates the victimization percentages on a regional basis and segments of the population with a relatively high or low percentage of victims in 1976 and 1977. A risk analysis provides useful information for future prevention programs. Futher sections treat victim reporting practices and official report policies of the police. A model then describes the relationship among the fine policy of the prosecutor's office, the official reporting policy of the police, and crime reporting habits of the public. Finally, the results of the victim surveys are compared to the official police statistics. Results of the study indicate that crime rates rose slightly in 1975 and 1976 but have since stabilized. The chance of being a victim of one of the crimes investigated was 18.8 percent by 1978. The crime rate is highest in Amsterdam; high-class, male city dwellers under 25 years of age are especially likely to be victims. The significant risk factors are attractiveness as a target, vicinity, and vulnerability or accessibility. Crime reporting rates are lowest in the areas with the highest crime rates, perhaps because victims have no confidence in the police. Between 35 and 45 percent of the crimes reported to the police are not made the subject of official reports, probably because police do not consider them serious enough. The proposed model holds that the financial damage level warranting prosecution established by the prosecutor affects the percentage of fines imposed, the number of official reports by the police, the confidence level of the public, and consequently public reporting habits. Comparison of police statistics and survey results indicates that only one petty crime in five is reported to the police and that the gap between crimes committed and crimes reported is not constant but appears to have narrowed significantly between 1976 and 1978. Significant differences between reported and unreported crime relationships also vary regionally. It is concluded in general that police statistics should not be used as a measure of actual crime rates. A bibliography of 55 entries, notes, and tables are supplied.