The number of murders in the country’s four largest cities rose steeply to 67 last year compared to 28 in 2006, the national statistics office CBS reports on Monday.

There had been a sharp drop in the murder rate in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht in 2006. CBS said it cannot explain the fluctuations.
In the country as a whole the number of muders rose by five to 164 last year. Twice as many men as women were murdered in 2007.