The Telegraaf has published new figures which it claims show a 25% rise in the number of crimes committed by asylum seekers, even though most of the suspects are unlikely to be given official refugee status and the figures are only based on police suspicions.

In total, 60% of the crimes in the preliminary justice ministry figures were thought to have been committed by someone from Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and other countries considered to be safe, rather than bona fide refugees, the figures show.

In addition, only 2,800 of the crimes on the list have actually gone to court and in 1,500 people have been found guilty.

No comment

Most cases on the list involved shoplifting, theft or pickpocketing, but police also registered 30 attempted murder and eight rape suspects, the Telegraaf said. Twenty of the attempted murder suspects have been taken to court – but it is unclear how many separate cases are involved.

The justice ministry has refused to comment on the report, saying the figures are still preliminary and the report will be published in the middle of next month.

Last May, asylum minister Mark Harbers resigned over a report in which figures about the number of refugees suspected of violent crimes were ‘hidden’.

Asylum seekers who have been given official refugee status lose their residency permit if convicted of a crime which carries a six month jail term. In the 3.5 years to June 2019, 90 asylum requests were rejected and 100 refugees lost their residency rights because of a criminal conviction.