The Hague - The Dutch Public Prosecutors Office has launched an investigation into the role of ordinary citizens in criminal investigations.
The move was prompted by a recent television program in which an alleged confession by the main suspect in the disappearance of US teenager Natalee Holloway was elicited by a private citizen using hidden cameras.
In a newspaper interview, senior official Harm Brouwer argues for a broad social discussion on the active role of citizens in criminal investigations. Mr Brouwer complimented crime reporter Peter R. de Vries on his programme but added that the broadcast and the discussion it generated justified examining the boundaries of such private investigations.
