Minister admits 9,063 serious crime reports went unhandled in 2024
Justice minister David van Weel concedes the state auditor was right about more than 10,000 unresolved cases, and the police will reassess some of them with €1.5m.
Justice minister David van Weel has admitted in a letter to the Tweede Kamer that the Algemene Rekenkamer, the state auditor, was right: more than 10,000 reports of serious crimes from 2024 were left unresolved. He wrote the letter on Wednesday.
After talks between the ministry, the Rekenkamer and the police, the figures have been "harmonised", Van Weel wrote. In 2024, 9,063 crime reports (aangiften) were left unresolved. A further 1,041 cases were notifications (meldingen) or the police's own observations, for which no report was filed.
At the request of the Tweede Kamer, the police will reassess part of the unresolved 2024 reports. The ministry has made €1.5m available. The review will start with all cases of attempted murder, murder and manslaughter, and serious sex offences. For other serious cases, such as bombings, robberies, aggravated assault and stalking, officers will review a selection.
Not every 2024 report will be reassessed, the minister said. That would come at the expense of handling new reports and slow down the criminal justice chain. "At the same time, it is important that victims are taken seriously and that society sees crime being tackled," he wrote.
The dispute began when Van Weel said in June that about half of the cases were notifications rather than reports. In late September the Rekenkamer said only 10% were, and that he had wrong-footed the Tweede Kamer. A six-hour emergency debate followed, and Van Weel apologised after midnight. A motion of no confidence from the PVV did not win a majority.
More on crime and the courts · cabinet and parliament · safety and emergencies
Follow the story: Algemene Rekenkamer
Tweede Kamer
The House of Representatives, the lower and more powerful house of the Dutch parliament. Its 150 members are elected directly; it can amend bills and holds the cabinet to account.
Algemene Rekenkamer
The Algemene Rekenkamer is the Netherlands' national audit office, an independent body that checks how the government spends public money and whether policies achieve their intended results. It publishes its findings in reports to the Tweede Kamer (House of Representatives), which uses them to hold ministers to account. When it reports that something was not done properly, as in this case, the minister responsible is expected to respond to parliament.