Public order and safety

The population of Amsterdam is highly diverse in terms of lifestyle and culture. And all these people have to share their space with thousands of visitors and tourists who come to the city right through the year. To operate meaningfully a city like this needs rules - and compliance and enforcement. This is a prerequisite for the climate of tolerance enjoyed by Amsterdam for centuries. Indeed, one person's freedom is determined by the other's lack of freedom. Freedom of speech also means the freedom to demonstrate and protest. At the same time, it is not acceptable for a protest or demonstration in defence of opinions and convictions to block the highway for other people or to hinder access to a building. Maintaining public order and ensuring a safe community is a core task of government. The political authorities, police, and the justice department each have a role here. At the same time, the city authorities are very aware that social problems require social solutions. Crime-prevention projects are in place in several locations in the city. They focus on the target groups, and on providing chances, and - where necessary - applying corrective action.

Police
The police in the Netherlands are organised on a regional basis. Amsterdam forms part of the Amsterdam-Amstelland police region. Alongside Amsterdam, this also comprises the municipalities of Amstelveen, Aalsmeer, Diemen, Ouder Amstel and Uithoorn. The mayor of Amsterdam is the overall head of the police (responsible for general leadership, organisation and management activities); the senior police officer is the chief commissioner of police of Amsterdam. The various mayors are responsible for public order in their own municipalities, and together they form a regional college. The police department comprises 6000 officers. In practice the police have two superiors above the chief commissioner. The mayor is in charge of maintaining public order, and the senior crown prosecutor is in charge of criminal investigation. In practice, the crown prosecutor is tasked with leading criminal investigations and prosecuting crime. The Crown prosecutor is responsible to the Minister of Justice. To ensure effective meshing of policy, there is regular consultation between the senior crown prosecutor, the chief commissioner of police, and the mayor. This is known as the "triangle consultation". The city council's internal affairs committee regularly discusses matters relating to police policy with the mayor and the chief commissioner of police.

Alongside regular tasks, current police priorities are combating:

youth crime
crime affecting public safety (reducing the street robberies and muggings)
burglaries
organised crime including
a. major international trading in narcotics
b. major fraud
c. corruption
local trading in narcotics, with a priority on the nuisance factor due to crime-related drugs use, and international trading in narcotics
environmental offences
traffic safety, to reduce the number of casualties and the nuisance relating to irregular parking, and bar customers.
Complaints about the police are dealt with by an independent police complaints commission. The police custody supervision committee monitors the treatment of persons in police custody, and where necessary makes recommendations to improve the situation.

Street surveillance
The City Street Surveillance Department results from a 1996 merger of the parking wardens, security patrols and the environmental enforcement service. Its task is to monitor activities in the public areas of the city. Some of the personnel are employed under a social work creation programme.

Prostitution
On 1 July 1997 the Ministry of Justice submitted a new fresh proposal for amendment of Article 250 bis of the Dutch Criminal Code, to the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament, and on 28 October 1999, after almost 20 years, the Second Chamber accepted the draft act to end the general ban on brothels. The Act came into force on 1 October 2000 as from which date municipalities may issue licenses for prostitution businesses. In an international context the Netherlands is well known for its tolerant stance on prostitution and the decriminalisation of the prostitution sector. This pragmatic approach has led to prostitution businesses being regulated and legalised as well as possible. Amsterdam was one of the cities that enthusiastically welcomed the intended amendment to the law. Indeed, prostitution has long been accepted in Amsterdam as a big-city social reality. The ending of the brothel ban enables the city council to introduce a licensing system for prostitution.

The amendment to the law has six main objectives:

Controlling and regulating prostitution operations
Improving counter-measures against involuntary prostitution
Protection of minors from sexual abuse
Protecting the position of prostitutes
Disentangling crime from the sex industry
Combating prostitution and organisation of prostitution by illegal aliens.
The prostitution sector in Amsterdam is highly diverse. The various forms are matched by considerable differences in the position of prostitutes and interests. Classification of the various forms of prostitution is based on two factors, i.e. openness and the commercial aspect. Generally speaking the more open forms of prostitution involve a greater measure of independence for the prostitutes themselves, whereas at clubs, private-houses, erotic massage parlours and SM clubs they are required to surrender a degree of independence - sometimes a considerable amount - in return for the supposed safety and anonymity of a club. Escort and home prostitution occupy a middle ground. Window prostitution is established in areas of Amsterdam including the Burgwallen and parts of the Spuistraat and De Pijp.

The current policy in Amsterdam (dating from the early 1980s) prohibits the expansion of window prostitution.

With an eye to preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, prostitutes are targeted with medical information and help around such diseases. There are also low- threshold facilities such as outpatient clinics for prostitutes. Prostitution businesses are also subject to general city ordinances, including fire safety, noise nuisance, and hygiene. These factors are also included in the mandatory document stating that the holder is a fit person to run such a business, which came into operation on 1 January 1996.

The lifting of the general ban on brothels gives the mayor greater powers in implementing and enforcing policy on prostitution. Hence, for example, it will be possible to conduct background checks on persons operating sex businesses.

Street prostitution
(soliciting in a public place) On 2 January 1996 Amsterdam opened a special soliciting zone for street prostitutes on the Theemsweg. This is open from 21.00 hours to 03.00 hours the following morning. Outside these hours soliciting for prostitution in a public place is prohibited throughout the city. Facilities at the soliciting zone include a "lounge project" where the prostitutes can meet their colleagues and relax. They can also consult with care workers from various social/health services, who are on duty. A doctor and nurses from the city health service hold consultations in the lounge twice a week. The prostitutes can have a free examination for sexually transmitted diseases. Condoms are also on sale, and prostitutes can trade old for new needles. Once a week the police hold a confidential session at which prostitutes can talk confidentially with officers. The Theemsweg prostitution zone it is surrounded by gates and fences to prevent activity spilling over into a wider area. A permanent supervisor is responsible for management and maintenance. A special police team is in place every evening to ensure safety.

Drugs
Drug use has been a nuisance factor in Amsterdam since the 1970s, this includes public order problems. There are around 5000 heroin and/or cocaine users in the city. A group of around 1000 hard-drug users causes a public nuisance. These people do not have a fixed address and steal and rob to finance their daily habit. Public order policy in the inner city focuses on this group. This means surveillance, observation, arrest, and prevention of concentrations of users. The plan is that criminal users who are in trouble with the police four times in a period of 12 months will be given the option of taking the full punishment for their offence, or undergoing treatment for their addiction. Hard drug users who do not complete their treatment have to do the full term of their sentence. Banning users from certain sections of the city is another tool used by the police to maintain public order. The mayor has powers to issue an order whereby drug users and dealers can be banned from designated areas, for periods of 8 hours and 14 days.

See also: Drugs policy

Coffee shops
Like many Dutch cities Amsterdam has so-called coffee shops, which sell small quantities of soft drugs. The policy of the city council is to freeze the number of these coffee shops. Since 1 January 1997 de-facto tolerated status has been granted to recognise, well functioning coffee shops. Standards are tough. It is forbidden to deal in hard-drugs, and no soft drugs may be sold to persons younger than 18 years. There is a ban on advertising, and the maximum amount for a transaction is 5 grams per person. The coffee shops may not stock more than 500 grams of soft drugs, and are prohibited from causing a public nuisance. Any breach of these rules can lead to closure. In 1997 a total of 321 coffee shops were granted de facto tolerated status. In May 1999 Amsterdam had a total of 294 coffee shops; 83 of these sell alcohol in addition to soft drugs. It is proposed to re-evaluate this as per 1 January 2003.

Safety on the streets
Over the last several years street violence has caused considerable concern in society at large. This is also the case in Amsterdam. The city authorities are taking measures to combat street violence. In the area of Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein, the most popular parts of the city for an evening out, bars are being allowed to stay open one hour longer at weekends, until five o'clock in the morning. No more alcohol may be sold during this experimental "cooling-off" hour. The expectation here it is that customers will leave the bars in a less concentrated stream, preventing dangerous situations due to a combination of crowds, cars, taxis and buses. As from 1 April 1999 the police have taken a strong stance on possession and use of knives. There is extra surveillance and regular checks for knives and other potential offensive weapons like baseball bats, broken bottles, screwdrivers and hypodermic needles, in the inner city. These checks are conducted between 22.00 hours and 07.00 hours. Any breach of the Weapons and Munitions Act can be dealt with rapidly by an accelerated judicial procedure.