News item | 19-12-2025 | 3:00 PM
Minister Van Oosten of Justice and Security has informed the House of Representatives about the progress in tackling organized, subversive crime. In the letter, the minister specifically addresses the continued focus on international cooperation, combating corruption and criminal interference and strengthening social resilience.
Minister Van Oosten: “Undermining by organized crime poses a serious threat to our society, undermines national security and disrupts the democratic constitutional state. That is why we continue to take measures to effectively tackle undermining crime: prevent, break, punish and protect.”
The letter presents several concrete results. ‘Prevention with authority’ will be continued with a major investment of more than 200 million euros. This will allow 27 municipalities to prevent young people from slipping or growing into organized crime based on new plans. This is done by offering them opportunities for a positive future, but also by setting clear limits on criminal behavior.
The Netherlands has also trained customs and police officials from Ecuador, in collaboration with Customs. In addition, police liaisons have been placed in foreign ports, which contributes to the exchange of knowledge with Latin America. This will ensure that both the (air)ports in the Netherlands and the region are better protected against drug smuggling and violence. In the field of anti-corruption, a toolkit has been developed with which government organizations can identify and tackle their own risks of corruption and undermining. An action framework has also been introduced that prevents corrupt officials from easily ‘job hopping’ between government organizations. In the field of money laundering, the Financial Intelligence Unit Netherlands now has the option to request banks to carry out emergency freezes so that criminal transactions can be countered more quickly. In addition, effect measurements show that the public campaign ‘Report crime anonymously’ has positive effects on recognizing suspicious signals and increasing citizens’ willingness to take action, such as discussing signals with neighbors or reporting them to the police or housing associations.
The government emphasizes that a broad and continuously strong approach to undermining remains essential. That is why the letter also presents various future plans. For example, the Undermining Threat Assessment in the Netherlands, which will be released for the first time next year, will provide more insight into the social impact of undermining and indicate what damage occurs. This insight offers the opportunity to focus the approach even more sharply. To further strengthen international cooperation, four million euros will be structurally invested annually in international and bilateral cooperation projects from 2026. Cooperation with countries to which criminal assets flow will also continue. With these measures and plans, the Netherlands remains determined to combat undermining crime on all fronts and to guarantee the safety and stability of society.