Cracking down on frequent offenders

By rigorously cracking down on habitual criminals, The Hague is becoming a much more pleasant and safer place to live and work for residents and businesspeople in the city.

What is this all about?

In The Hague there is a small group of criminals who cause a great deal of nuisance. This group of recidivists is responsible for a major portion of the crime in the city, almost two-thirds to be precise. By rigorously cracking down on these habitual criminals, The Hague is becoming a much more pleasant and safer place to live and work for residents and businesspeople in the city.

What are recidivists?

Recidivists are frequent offenders who have committed more than ten criminal offences over the past five years and persist in their criminal behaviour. As a result these habitual criminals have frequent confrontations with the law. The main offences they commit are thefts from cars, burglaries, shoplifting, vandalism, extortion and pick pocketing. Most of them are drug addicts.

What are young offenders?

Young offenders are people below the age of 18 who have already committed three to ten criminal offences. They are at the start of a criminal career and could become habitual criminals. In the case of youngsters between the ages of 12 and 18 there is a realistic chance that they could still be dissuaded from a life of crime.

Why a new approach?

For a long time the way habitual criminals and young offenders were handled in The Hague did not produce sufficient results. There were various reasons for this. Cooperation between the police, judicial authorities, the probation service, the Youth Care Agency, the Child Protection Board and the local authority left something to be desired. The relatively minor criminal offences committed by the habitual criminals were not given high priority and the young offenders were given short sentences for their crimes. 2003 saw the start of a new approach.

How are habitual criminals being handled?

The Hague is cracking down on habitual criminals using an individual approach and on the basis of the overall criminal past of the suspect. The police have drawn up a list of the top 500 offenders who meet the criteria for frequent offender. For each local police station, a top ten list has been drawn up. A fast track justice system has been introduced especially for the habitual criminals. This means that frequent offenders who have broken the law are brought before the police magistrate on the very same day and that the matter is settled there and then. For each subsequent offence, the habitual criminal has a higher sentence imposed. The Public Prosecutions Department brings the more serious cases before the examining magistrate.

The Court can place them for a maximum of two years in an institution for systematic offenders (ISD). While sitting out their sentence the probation service offers habitual criminals treatment and care as well as help if they are drug addicts. After sitting out their prison sentence the local authority helps frequent offenders to build up a new existence. This involves applying for a social security benefit, help with finding a place to live and assistance in finding a job and training.

How are young offenders being handled?

The individual approach also has priority in tackling young offenders. The police, the Public Prosecution Department, the Youth Care Agency and the Child Protection Board have drawn up a list of about 140 youngsters. Each local police station has a list of the top ten young offenders. After the offenders have completed their sentence, whether this be in prison, a correctional institution or doing community service, the local authority offers them voluntary assistance in helping them find a training course, work, contact with their family and/or positive use of their leisure time.

Who is taking part?

The Haaglanden Police, the Public Prosecution Department, the probation service, the Haaglanden Penitentiary Institutes and the local authority of The Hague are jointly involved in tackling the problem of habitual offenders. The Haaglanden Police, the Public Prosecution Department, the Child Protection Board, the Youth Care Agency and the local authority are working together to reduce the number of young offenders. Each partner has its own role to play in reducing the number of habitual offenders and young offenders in the city.

What is the result?

The result of the vigorous plan of attack for habitual offenders and young offenders must be a demonstrable reduction in crime in The Hague. This means that people living in The Hague will feel safer. The first results of the new method of working have already been apparent since 2004. The chance of people getting caught is greater and the number of thefts and burglaries has diminished.

Safety plan

The measures to tackle habitual offenders and young offenders are part of the safety plan for ‘A Safe The Hague (2): An Assignment for All Hague Residents’. The plan describes how The Hague is working on safety. By 2010 crime and nuisance have to be reduced by 20-25% and people living in The Hague must feel safer. This is priority number one for the city of The Hague.