In 2017, the police registered 49 crimes per thousand inhabitants, which is roughly the same as in 1980. The crime rate in 2003 was 93 per thousand inhabitants. Police-recorded crime showed an upward trend between the 1950s and the 1990s, mainly on account of property crimes such as burglary and theft. This crime wave was not only visible in recorded crime, but also from the rising number of offences as reported by victims and cases of murder and manslaughter.

By far the highest proportion of crimes in 2017 were committed in Amsterdam: 103 registered crimes per thousand inhabitants. In Rotterdam, Utrecht and The Hague, police recorded between 82 and 90 offences per thousand inhabitants. Arnhem and Maastricht are among the smaller municipalities with a relatively high crime rate.

In 2017, The Hague had a crime suspect rate of 175 per 10 thousand inhabitants, the highest rate of all Dutch municipalities. Rotterdam, Lelystad, Almere, Leeuwarden and Arnhem also had relatively high crime suspect rates (over 150 suspects per 10 thousand inhabitants). There were much fewer suspects – 109 per 10 thousand inhabitants) in Utrecht. In the southern provinces, the cities of Heerlen and Helmond had relatively many registered crime suspects.

In 2016, suspects were found guilty of committing a crime by the court in 82.5 thousand cases, more than 11 percent down on 2012. The majority of crime convictions were for property, violent and sexual offences. In 2016, the number of persons found guilty of committing a traffic offence was over 23 percent lower than in 2012.

In the same year, Dutch courts imposed 115.8 thousand sanctions for criminal offences. Most common was the custodial sanction, followed by community service and fines. The share of custodial sanctions rose from 25 percent in 2006 to 32 percent in 2016. Furthermore, Dutch courts imposed relatively more community service and fewer fines compared to ten years previously.

The share of people who have at one point become a crime victim has declined almost continually for more than ten years. In 2005, nearly three out of ten Dutch citizens stated they had been victims of a criminal offence. By 2017 this was 15 percent, representing a decline by 45 percent. In line with falling crime rates, the number of people who sometimes feel unsafe has become progressively lower.

In most police districts, the crime victim rate fell between 2012 and 2017. This decline was sharpest in the police districts of The Hague Centre and South, where if fell by 10 percentage points. In 2017, the crime victim rate was highest in the districts of Utrecht City and Amsterdam North. In both districts, 26 percent of the population aged 15 and over fell victim to a crime; this share was not significantly lower than in 2012. The crime victim rate in lowest in Fryslân that year at 10 percent. This was 4 percentage points lower than in 2012.

In 2017, fire brigades received 73 thousand fire service call outs. The number of call outs by telephone has been fairly stable in recent years at around 38.5 thousand. The number of call outs due to fire alarm systems has declined, however. In 2017, fire services received nearly 67 thousand requests for assistance, more than in 2016. The number of assistances depends largely on the weather. At times of storm and flooding, fire services are in more demand.

In 2017, the total number of asylum seekers and following relatives entering the Netherlands stood at 30,635, down by 550 on the previous year. The share of following relatives went up to 47 percent in 2017. In 2016 this was 38 percent. It is the highest share since the introduction of a special procedure for asylum seekers wishing to bring over their family members.