Emergency Response Times in the Netherlands Hit Lowest Levels in a Decade
Police, ambulance, and fire services struggle to meet targets amid staffing shortages and rising emergencies
Emergency response times in the Netherlands were slower in 2024 than in any of the past ten years, according to RTL News. Police, ambulance, and fire services struggled to reach emergency scenes within the required time, especially in rural areas. In over 300 municipalities, police could not meet their own response time targets.
Police Struggle to Arrive on Time
The police aim to respond to emergencies within 15 minutes in 90% of cases. However, in 2024, they met this goal only 83.7% of the time. In some places, like Terschelling, Vlieland, and Tholen, they arrived within 15 minutes in just over half of the cases.
Despite these slow response times, police officials say they are satisfied with their performance. They point to staff shortages and an increase in emergency calls related to traffic accidents and violence as the main reasons for delays. The police also explain that reaching emergency locations in rural areas is difficult due to rivers, bridges, and railway crossings.
The police argue that focusing only on response times would take resources away from other important work, such as crime prevention. They say that while they could put more officers on emergency duty, this would reduce their ability to prevent crimes from happening in the first place.
Fire Department Shows Some Improvement
While police and ambulance response times worsened, the fire department saw slight improvements. The number of emergency calls to fire services has decreased, and they are now arriving within the required 18 minutes more often than in previous years.
However, when responding to serious incidents, such as car accidents and hazardous material spills, fire crews are taking longer to arrive. This is partly due to increased traffic and road safety measures like speed bumps and 30 km/h zones, which slow down emergency vehicles.
Fire officials say they are looking at ways to improve response times, especially in areas that are difficult to reach. One possible solution is installing smoke detectors in more homes, so fires can be detected earlier, giving firefighters more time to respond.
The Impact of Delays
Longer response times can have serious consequences. In emergencies, every minute matters. The delays mean people may have to wait longer for help in life-threatening situations.
Chief of Police Janny Knol has warned that people should expect even longer wait times in the future, especially during major events like the NATO summit in June, which will require a large police presence.
As emergency services struggle to meet their targets, discussions are ongoing about what can be done to improve the situation while ensuring that resources are used effectively.