Public safety and the management of fear

Abstract

In the international criminological literature the Netherlands is generally characterized as a tolerant, liberal country: permissive towards many vices, foreigner-friendly and blessed with a mild penal climate. Today this image is about as worn out as the odd postcard image of the Netherlands as the country of clogs, windmills and tulips. With this alleged tolerant past portrayed as a mistake, the Netherlands has over the last few years turned into a rather confused, intolerant and punitive country. In this article, the development of inclusive ideas about a local prevention of crime into a merely exclusive politics of public safety is analysed. By doing so, an attempt is made at answering the question: ‘How could the traditional sober-minded, research-led and Enlightened Dutch approach of crime control change so quickly?’