Police call for action as mental heath call-outs hit 150,000

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The police registered almost 150,000 reports of problems caused by people with psychiatric issues last year, a rise of 6% on 2023, according to annual figures published on Thursday by the national force.

The number of mental health call-outs has been rising steadily for years and includes serious as well as minor incidents, police say.

“Think about the hostage-taking in Ede last year, or murder and sex crimes,” said Noord-Nederland police chief Martin Sitalsing. “We have to act in cases where the safety of the public is at risk. But in many cases, the people we are called out to deal with need help and care.”

The current situation, he said, is not the most effective use of police time, given that police officers are not care workers.

“Much more focus needs to be placed on providing help and care so we can stop these incidents from happening,” he said. “The government must make this a priority and allocate sufficient funding.”

One in five crime suspects have at least one report of problematic behaviour to their name.

The police figures also show a marginal drop in the number of burglaries to 22,305, which is less than a quarter of the 2013 total of 92,000. Pickpocketing incidents fell by 24%.

However, there was a sharp rise in the number of attacks on business premises and private homes involving explosives – 1,244 in 2024 compared with 901 in 2023.

“There has been an enormous surge in the past two years,” said High Impact Crime chief Jos van der Stap. “We are confronted with the consequences of explosions on a daily basis, and they are becoming more serious.”

At the end of last year, six people were killed in an explosion and fire at a bridal shop in The Hague.

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