Police registered 678 attacks and attempted attacks on homes and business premises involving powerful fireworks in the first six months of this year, 34 more than in the same period last year, broadcaster NOS reported on Thursday.
Often the fireworks are used in combination with accelerants, causing “life-threatening situations”, police high-impact crime manager Jos van der Stap told the broadcaster.
In the whole of 2024, there were 1,543 explosions outside properties which involved fireworks.
Some 163 suspects have been arrested so far this year. “Often they are youngsters who are already known to police. They are impulsive and easy to manipulate. They like to belong to a group and it doesn’t take much money to recruit them,” Van der Stap said.
Arrests and a complete ban on fireworks alone are not going to solve the problem, Van der Stap said, adding that prevention, including a campaign to raise awareness among teenagers in schools and a programme to prevent them from re-offending, must also be part of the approach.
Another explosion destroyed a house in Papendrecht in the early hours of Thursday morning. Some 40 people living in the apartment building had to be evacuated.
A family of six lived at the address on the Vincent van Goghlaan, which was completely gutted by fire. Two of the children were hurt as they tried to flee the flames.
“One child was treated at the hospital for smoke inhalation and another child was injured when trying to get out of the house,” a police spokesman said.
A police investigation is ongoing.
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