Business break-ins drop 9% nationwide in Netherlands, but surge in Rotterdam

The number of thefts and break-ins at businesses in the Netherlands fell to 2,820 incidents in the first quarter of 2026, a decrease of 295 — or more than 9 percent — from the same period in 2025, according to an analysis by the comparison site Overstappen.nl.

The nationwide drop was driven by declines in major cities, but several municipalities recorded increases. Rotterdam saw the largest rise, with 28 additional business break-ins.

Zwolle had 19 more incidents, Zeist had 15 more and Leiden had 13 more. The Hague, Groningen and Vlaardingen each reported 11 additional incidents.

Indy Landzaat, an expert in business damage insurance, said the decreases in large cities probably stem from better security. “The decrease in large cities is probably related to better security, such as camera surveillance and alarm systems, and a stronger focus on prevention. That makes these areas less attractive to criminals, who then more often move to places where the control is less intensive,” Landzaat said.

The highest totals remained in the largest cities. Amsterdam recorded 356 business break-ins in the quarter, followed by Rotterdam with 203, The Hague with 120, Utrecht with 95 and Eindhoven with 79.

Those same cities posted sharp declines. Amsterdam had 70 fewer incidents than the year before. Utrecht recorded 22 fewer and Arnhem had 25 fewer. Eindhoven’s count fell from 99 to 79, a drop of more than 20 percent. Nijmegen was an exception, registering an increase in business break-ins while surrounding cities saw declines.

Smaller municipalities also showed notable drops. Amersfoort had 19 fewer break-ins and Peel en Maas had 18 fewer. In Zundert the number fell by 12 to zero, leaving it among the few municipalities with no registered business break-ins for the quarter.