Shoplifting in the Dutch town of Ter Apel, home to the Netherlands’ main refugee reception center, nearly doubled during the first four months of 2026 compared with the same period in the previous two years.
Authorities recorded 144 shoplifting incidents between January and April, with 141 occurring in Ter Apel. The municipality said almost every case was linked to residents of the refugee reception center run by the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA).
Police arrested 53 suspects in connection with the thefts, including 50 in Ter Apel, while noting that not every offender is arrested because some receive warnings or fines instead, depending on the circumstances and whether retailers file a complaint.