Serious violence against Dutch police rises nationwide

Dutch police officers were the target of almost 13,000 violent incidents in 2025, roughly 2,000 more than 2019, with sharp rises in the most serious types of attacks and a near-doubling of incidents around New Year, according to police figures.

The number of serious assaults rose 21% to 281, while attempted manslaughter cases climbed to 13% to 155. Some officers suffered permanent injuries or trauma, the police said.

Corry van Breda, the police’s national lead on violence against officers, said the figures pointed to a “structural problem”, not isolated incidents. “If you attack police officers, there must be consequences,” she said.

New Year peak

Incidents around the turn of the year nearly doubled, from 179 to 344. The police attribute the spike to anger over the coming consumer fireworks ban, with officers in some cases lured into ambushes and pelted with powerful fireworks. The ban on the sale of consumer fireworks takes effect at the end of this year.

Violence in traffic situations rose to 966 incidents from 876, and incidents involving people with “confused behaviour” rose to 744 from 677. Attacks at football matches fell from 240 to 158.

Van Breda called for heavier sentences, an option for officers to file reports anonymously, and stronger measures to keep officers’ personal details from being traced online. Doxing – sharing someone’s personal data online to intimidate them – became a criminal offence in January 2024.