The illegal use of hand grenades in the Netherlands: 2008-2021

Abstract

Despite the fact that the issue of illegal hand grenades in the Netherlands received ample public attention, a number of questionssurrounding this phenomenon remain: For what kind of crimes are hand grenades used as weapons? What do we know about the victims and perpetrators of these incidents? Where do the hand grenades come from? Whilst anecdotal reports by the media have addressed some of these questions, there is still a vast scientific lacuna regarding this phenomenon. Therefore, in 2019, we launched the Dutch Hand Grenade Monitor, a database to track all incidents of illegal use of hand grenades in the Netherlands. Combining information from news articles, public trial documents and data fromthe Dutch National Police, we gathered information on the characteristics of these incidents, victims, perpetrators and possible connections to other crimes. In this report, we present the most relevant findings on the illegal use of hand grenades in the Netherlands from January 2008 to August 2021