Dutch police shot dead five people last year and injured a further 19 in firearms incidents, according to public prosecution department figures.

The number of deaths is similar to previous years, but in 2011, 29 people were injured by police bullets, the department said.

Investigations have been completed into 19 of the shootings and in each case the police acted properly, the department said. The five other cases are still under investigation.

There are no exact figures showing how many times police fired their guns but it is thought be be around 200 times, Jaap Timmer, a researcher at Windesheim hbo college, told the broadcaster.

Around half of those are warning shots, and the rest were directed at vehicles.