At least seven people were stabbed to death in Amsterdam last year by someone with psychiatric issues, according to new police figures issued on Monday.
The murder rate in Amsterdam soared from 12 to 20 last year and in 14 cases, the victim was stabbed to death. In seven of those cases, the killer had mental health issues.
The police have warned several times about the number of call outs they get to deal with people with psychiatric issues and say the increase is leading to public concern.
“There have been multiple cases in which people have formed a danger to themselves and others in broad daylight,” the report said.
The city has now started a pilot project to centralise reports about people causing trouble because they have mental health issues, involving police, the regional health boards and city officials.
“People can make a report to one number and the experts are there to make sure people don’t fall through the cracks,” mayor Femke Halsema said. “We are doing what we can and we are aware the local system can do better. But we can’t do it alone. The city needs more help from national government.”
The police registered almost 150,000 reports of problems caused by people with psychiatric issues last year, a rise of 6% on 2023, according to annual figures published last month by the national force.
The number of mental health call-outs has been rising steadily for years and includes serious as well as minor incidents, police say.
“Think about the hostage-taking in Ede last year, or murder and sex crimes,” said Noord-Nederland police chief Martin Sitalsing at the time. “We have to act in cases where the safety of the public is at risk. But in many cases, the people we are called out to deal with need help and care.”
The current situation, he said, is not the most effective use of police time, given that police officers are not care workers.
“Much more focus needs to be placed on providing help and care so we can stop these incidents from happening,” he said. “The government must make this a priority and allocate sufficient funding.”
Fewer robberies
The police figures also show 24% drop in the number of pickpocketing incidents in the Dutch capital and a similar reduction in armed robberies.
However, there was a sharp rise in the number of attacks on business premises and private homes involving explosives – 251 in 2024 compared with 208 in 2023.
The city’s force has a permanent shortage of some 300 officers and public safety is at risk if more is not done to make up the numbers, Halsema said.
