Police have handed out around one million fewer on the spot fines so far this year than in 2010, probably due to the end of quotas, the Volkskrant reports on Thursday.

In the first nine months of this year, the government’s fine agency dealt with 7.3 million fines, compared with 8.5 million over the same period last year.
In particular, fewer people have been fined for cycling with broken lights and driving without a seat belt, the agency said. Most fines – 5.6 million – were issued for speeding.
The drop may also be connected with sharp increases in some fines which many police officers are known to feel are out of proportion to the offence.
This may mean police officers are more likely to issue a warning, police union chairman Gerrit van der Kamp told the paper.