The Shock was great when a fifteen-year-old suspect in Capelle aan den IJssel was Shot Dead Dead a Police Chase. Again, Concerns Were raised that young people would be more or Involved in Weapons and Violent Crimes. But experts say that figures have leg contradicting that image for years.
The Fifteen-Year-Old Boy was shot in Capelle on Sunday After He was Allegedly Involved in Stealing A Fatbike. The Boy was Carrying a Weapon at That Time And, Accordance to the Police, Ignored Several Warnings. Research Still Needs to Show Whether the Firearm is Real.
After Violent Incidents Involving Young People, The Claim is Often Made That Young People Are More Often Involved in Crimes Than In The Past. It is a question that nu.nl readers also or ashs, but the opposite is true: juvenile delinquency is much lower than about twenty years ago.
“We have seen a decline in crime for years, Both Among Young People and Adults,” Says criminologist Henk Ferwerda. Accordance to Ferwerda, The Decline Has Stabilized Since 2018 because we have reached the “bottom” of what is Possible with the decline. “There is always a level of crime,” he says.
That trend can not only be seen in the Netherlands. “We also see that stability at a low level in Neighboring Countries,” Says Ido Weijers, Emeritus Professor of Juvenile Justice. In the graph Below you can see the decrease in the Number of Young suspects and perpetrators.
The Decrease in (Youth) Crime is not visible in all types of crime. The Number of Online Crimes is Increasing: For Example, Think of the Unrest in Beverwijk and Heemskerk a Week and A Half Ago, Where Schools Remained Closed. That Unrest was fueled by Videos of Abuse and Threats Circulating on Social Media.
Relatively High Crime in Vulnerable Neighborhoods is an Old Phenomenon
An increase can also be seen in Weapons and Drug-Related Violence, Both in Adults and in Young People. “You mainly see that there is more crime in vulnerable Neighborhoods in Cities,” Says Ferwerda.
But that is not a new development either. “That is an Old Phenomenon,” Says Weijers. “But one that gets a lot of attention in the media.” In This Way, The Perception of Youth Crimes, worse than the crime Figures Show is.
Increasingly Faster (social) media also play a role in this. “As Citizens, we can now watch Almost Live Many Forms of Crime,” Says Ferwerda. “That does something to people’s sense of security.” And precisely because crimes by young people are striking, the media pick them up more quickly.
As an Example, Ferwerda Gives a Robbery at A Gas Station in Arnhem by Underage Perpetrators with a Fake Weapon in 2018. Afterwards, He Investigated the Impact on Those Involved. Regional Media Talked a Lot About the Young Age of the Perpetrators and Concerns About It. “But when I looked at the data from the police in Arnhem, it turned out that young age is very exceptional,” Says the criminologist.
That does not make the seriousness of Weapon Possession by Young People Any Less, Ferwerda Believe. “The surprise that a fifteen-year-old has a firearm is justified.”