During the outbreak of coronavirus in the Netherlands, there has been a sharp increase in violence against police officers. April saw a surprising surge in violent incidents against members of the Dutch police force, based on figures given by the police and reported by NOS.
In the first few weeks of the coronavirus crisis in March, figures were actually 10 percent lower than in the previous month. However, from April 6, the number of violent incidents against police officers was 40 percent higher than before the coronavirus hit. In the following weeks, police officers reported continued high rates of violence.
The instances of violence have since fallen, but are still higher than before the emergence of COVID-19 in the Netherlands. During the first week of May, violence against police officers was 4 percent higher than in February.
Besides the increase in violence, there has been an increase in nuisance reports, for example, complaints about neighbours, noise and loitering. During the first week of May, 13.500 nuisance reports were made to the police, which is twice as many compared the same week last year.
Police did not report reasons for the increased violence and nuisance reports, but it is likely linked to mounting frustrations with the coronavirus and its associated measures, restrictions and rules. Since the end of March, 9.000 fines have been given out for flouting the social distancing rules, and there is likely to be a correlation with the violence.