Since 2019, police have noticed the rising number of violent incidents in the Eindhoven city center. Fights, assaults, shoplifting, and sex offenses are becoming more frequent. East Brabant Police reports this in response to questions from Studio040.
Earlier, the VVD asked the council questions about safety in the city center. The police now agree that there is an increasing number of incidents compared to 2019, the year before corona.
There is also a perception among police that pickpockets are increasingly active at events. The picture of increasing violence corresponds to the increase in supporter violence at football matches, about which the police previously expressed concerns.
However, the number of street robberies has continued to decline in recent years, as has the number of threats.
Nuisance
The Police say that the rise in violent incidents also gives rise to nuisances in the city center. These would mainly be nuisances from confused people, youth, homeless people, and nuisances caused by alcohol and drug users. “This can have an effect on the perception of the safety of residents entrepreneurs and visitors,” the police said.
Report
Finally, the police report another worrisome development. “We receive signals that the willingness to report is declining because there is a perception that reporting does not lead to a hoped-for result,” a spokesperson reveals.
“But reporting crime is so important to gain insight into what is going on in the inner city. It does not always lead to the arrest of a suspect, but it can reveal phenomena or hotspots on which we can focus our efforts.”
Source: Studio040
Translation: Chaitali Sengupta. She also gives online INBURGERING classes.
