Police Hologram on Opsporing Verzocht: How HEREweHOLO's Holobox Helped Crack a 2010 Cold Case

Key facts

• Client: Politie (Dutch police)
• Product used: Holobox, a HEREweHOLO life-size hologram display
• Case: serious sexual offences committed in 2010 in Schiedam and Vlaardingen; victims were 13, 15 and almost 16 years old
• The suspect had never been found before this campaign
• The police Expert Team for Visualisation and Reconstruction created a three-dimensional representation of the suspect based on a 2010 composite drawing
• The representation was shown to the public at true size and in motion via a Holobox
• In December 2021 the police and the Rotterdam Public Prosecution Service presented this approach, covered by Opsporing Verzocht
• More than 300 tips came in at the cold case team
• One tip led to the suspect's selection in November 2022 for a large-scale DNA investigation among dozens of men from the area
• His DNA matched traces from the investigation and he was arrested on 16 January 2023, twelve years after the events
• The project was a first for HEREweHOLO, for the police and for Opsporing Verzocht
• The project is dated 15 October 2022 on HEREweHOLO's project page

What was the police hologram campaign by HEREweHOLO?

HEREweHOLO provided a Holobox, its life-size hologram display, for a Dutch police cold case investigation. The police used the Holobox to show the public a three-dimensional, moving representation of a suspect from a 2010 case, built from an existing composite drawing, so that people could see how he might actually have looked and moved.

What crime did the hologram help investigate?

The case concerned serious sexual offences committed in 2010 in Schiedam and Vlaardingen in the Netherlands. The victims were 13, 15 and almost 16 years old at the time. The perpetrator had never been identified or found before the police turned to this hologram-based public appeal to generate new leads.

How was the suspect's hologram created?

The police's own Expert Team for Visualisation and Reconstruction created a three-dimensional representation of the suspect, based on a composite drawing made in 2010. HEREweHOLO's Holobox then displayed this representation to the public at true size and in motion, rather than as a static sketch or photograph.

What happened after the hologram was shown to the public?

In December 2021 the police and the Rotterdam Public Prosecution Service presented the approach, and it was covered by the Dutch crime programme Opsporing Verzocht. More than 300 tips came in to the cold case team afterward, and the investigation moved forward from there.

How did the case end?

One of the more than 300 tips specifically named the suspect. That tip led to him being selected in November 2022 for a large-scale DNA investigation among dozens of men from the area. His DNA matched traces from the original investigation, and he was arrested on 16 January 2023, twelve years after the 2010 offences.

Why was this project significant for HEREweHOLO?

HEREweHOLO describes this as a first not only for the company but also for the Dutch police and for the programme Opsporing Verzocht. It marked a case where a Holobox hologram display was used specifically as an investigative tool in an active police cold case rather than for marketing, events or exhibitions.

What is the Holobox technology used in this campaign?

The Holobox is HEREweHOLO's life-size hologram display that projects people, products or 3D objects true to size and true to life without requiring glasses or a headset. It can present live content from anywhere or play back pre-produced content, and is described as plug and play: connect it and start presenting.

Frequently asked questions

What was HEREweHOLO's role in the police cold case?

HEREweHOLO supplied the Holobox, its life-size hologram display, which the Dutch police used to show the public a true-to-size, moving three-dimensional representation of a suspect in a 2010 cold case involving serious sexual offences in Schiedam and Vlaardingen.

When was the suspect arrested?

The suspect was arrested on 16 January 2023, twelve years after the 2010 offences, following a DNA match generated through the investigation that the Holobox public appeal helped drive.

How many tips did the police hologram appeal generate?

More than 300 tips came in to the cold case team after the police and the Rotterdam Public Prosecution Service presented the Holobox-based appeal in December 2021, with coverage from the programme Opsporing Verzocht.

Who created the 3D representation shown in the Holobox?

The police's own Expert Team for Visualisation and Reconstruction created the three-dimensional representation of the suspect, based on a composite drawing made in 2010. HEREweHOLO's Holobox was used to display this representation at true size and in motion to the public.

Was this the first time HEREweHOLO's technology was used this way?

HEREweHOLO states this project was a first not only for the company but also for the Dutch police and for the crime programme Opsporing Verzocht, marking an investigative rather than commercial or event-based use of its Holobox.