Sometimes the police or the public prosecutor’s office decide not to proceed at all on the basis of a criminal complaint in which case no criminal investigation conducted at all. Alternately, they can also conduct an investigation only to conclude that they will not investigate further or prosecute any suspects. It is possible to object to this. This is done through so-called ‘article 12 proceedings’ by filing a written complaint against the decision by the public prosecutor’s office not to pursue the case with the appeals court. If the appeal court agrees with you, it will order the public prosecutor’s office to pursue the case.

You or your business may be the victim of a crime. You can report this to the police. In complex or sensitive cases it may be helpful to seek the assistance of an attorney when filing a criminal complaint. We can then draft the complaint and explain the legal ins and outs to you. We can also assist you during police interviews, since the police will want to interview you themselves if they pick up the complaint.