Petty crime such as traffic offences, bike theft and vandalism, should be more often dealt with through a fast-track legal system, according to the head of the Dutch public prosecution service Herman Bolhaar in Friday’s Telegraaf.

He suggests prosecution department officials should be assigned to all major police stations so they can hand out warnings, fines and community service sentences within three days.
In addition, law firms must also be involved to ensure good legal representation is on hand, Bolhaar says.
Experiments have already been run in the big cities and deemed a ‘major success’. Many suspects are prepared to pay for any damage they have caused immediately and victims are also happy with the results, Bolhaar told the paper.