Meldingsbereid door tip- en beloningsgelden?

Abstract

When investigating serious criminal offences, the Dutch Police and Public Prosecutor’s Office (Openbaar Ministerie) may use information supplied to them by civilians. These persons can be managed as informants by police intelligence services or they may provide their information to the Police in reaction to a reward, that has been offered by a public prosecutor. A police informant can be described as a person who has knowledge of criminal offences, for example because he is a member of a criminal organization, and who provides this information to the police, whilst at the same time the identity of the informant is kept secret. A reward is written out by a public prosecutor when he needs the help of the public in finding a fugitive criminal or solving a criminal case. In both circumstances, a civilian is being paid by the government for providing information on criminal offences. Following a motion passed in the Dutch Parliament (Tweede Kamer), which called for an increase in tip and reward money (tip- en beloningsgelden) for citizens who provide information on drug-related crime, the Minister of Justice and Security has ordered an exploratory study into the relation between tip and reward money and the willingness of civilians to provide information on serious criminal offences and the use of tip and reward money in three foreign countries, which were selected by the authors as Australia, Belgium and Germany.

Het doel van dit verkennende onderzoek is om meer inzicht te verkrijgen in de meldingsbereidheid van burgers in relatie tot (de hoogte van) tip- en beloningsgelden. Het voorgaande mondt dan ook uit in de volgende hoofdvraag: Wat is er, op basis van (inter)nationale literatuur en interviews met een aantal deskundigen, bekend over de invloed van tip- en beloningsgelden op de bereidheid van burgers tot het geven van tips aan opsporingsdiensten in Nederland en in (enkele) andere landen (Australië, België en Duitsland)? Welke zijn de meest relevante onderwerpen om te bespreken in een expertmeeting en met wie? INHOUD: 1. Inleiding 2. Tip- en beloningsgelden; procedures en praktijken 3. Meldingsbereidheid in Nederland: gedragswetenschappelij ke literatuur, interviews en expertmeeting 4. Bevindingen verkennend onderzoek Australië, België en Duitsland 5. Conclusie.