Wrongfully Arrested? Claim Compensation!

Questioner

I was wrongfully arrested and have King's Night and King's Day. Also, when I was released, I was told that I could pick up my car in Hilversum, but that turned out not to be possible right away and so I had to make all kinds of costs. The next day I had to work as usual and I also lost half a day of work because I had to chase my car. All this because I was wrongfully arrested. Can I recover this from the police?

Lawyer

Have you already received a written statement from the police or the Public Prosecution Service that your case has been dismissed, meaning that you will not be prosecuted? In that case, you can request compensation. A standard amount applies for each night that you have spent in custody (this therefore only starts from the order for detention, not from the arrest). In addition, you can include other items of damage in that application procedure, for example lost income during detention. It is then important that you can substantiate the request well, with receipts or a statement from your employer showing what income you have lost. There is also a standard fee for legal assistance in drawing up and explaining such a request for compensation. So it does not have to cost you anything if you hire a lawyer to draw up such a request. We can help you with this. If you have not (yet) received a notice of dismissal, you can still hold the police liable, but I fear it will be a more difficult story. You will then have to prove that the police acted unlawfully and will probably have to pay the lawyer yourself (or, in addition, a personal contribution of at least 143 euros). Please feel free to contact my office for more information!