Two Dutch 'cold cases' reopened thanks to prison calendars

THE HAGUE: Dutch police said Tuesday they have reopened two "cold cases" thanks to creative calendars distributed in prisons aimed at uncovering clues to 52 unresolved crimes.
"Thanks to serious and concrete information from prisoners, we have been to reopen two of the cases featured in the calendar," national police spokesman Robbert Salome told AFP, adding he could not divulge more details yet in order not to compromise investigations.
He said a pilot project, launched in Jan, had proved so successful that the calendars will now be distributed in all Dutch prisons.
"In the first five months of the test phase, we received 160 tip-offs, from the name of the guilty person to just some information about a vehicle license plate."
A reward is offered for each case featured on the 52-week calendar, with a total of €800,000 up for grabs. Prisoners who can remain anonymous, are urged to contact police by mail, email or telephone, in the hope they will be able to make progress in cases involving murder, aggravated robbery or even arson.
"The results of this phase of the test have been very positive, and we are happy for the families of the victims," Salome said, adding they were cases stretching back many years.
The Netherlands has about 1,500 unresolved crimes on its books, some of which have dragged for decades. A similar US scheme involving playing cards has helped to solve dozens of murders. — AFP