April 2005 the Dutch government introduced two Bills in Parliament to empower local governments to impose administrative fines for violations such as urinating in public, graffiti, leaving behind dog dirt or trash, nuisance in a shopping centre and unauthorized parking. These proposals fit in with a more general shift from criminal law enforcement to alternative enforcement. The last decades, administrative fines were introduced in several laws (financial legislation, food law, labour law, social security law). This allows state authorities to impose fines for violations of regulations without court proceedings. The empowerment of local government to impose fines reflects a changed political climate favouring strict enforcement by police and other agencies, the high workload of the police and criminal justice system, discussion on core business of the police, and developments in local public safety policy. The authors discuss the backgrounds and potential consequences of these proposals.(Author/publisher)
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