News item | 23-05-2022 | 07:00
The fight against organized crime is being reinforced in the region by EUR 40 million annually. Each region in the Netherlands has its own unique characteristics and that also requires a specific approach to crime. According to Minister Yeşilgöz-Zegerius of Justice and Security, this must be further expanded. For example, in regions with a lot of logistics activity – from seaports and airports to pleasure marinas – the fight against international drug smuggling is being stepped up, efforts are being made in the border area with neighboring countries to prevent criminals from disappearing under the radar there and the resilience of farmers in rural areas is increased. against criminal use of their barns for drug production.
“Criminals take advantage of the situation they get. They settle in our residential areas, businesses and outlying areas to carry out their illegal practices if we are not careful. In the region, we tackle crime at its source and break through structures before entire criminal networks can emerge. We are not only dismantling drug labs in the countryside, but we also want to stop the supply of raw materials and the export of pills through our ports, cut criminal money flows and prevent young people from being recruited into a criminal career by drug dealers.
said Minister Yeşilgöz-Zegerius.
Tackling serious crime involves preventing, breaking through criminal networks and revenue models, punishing and protecting. To prevent organized crime from undermining our safe society, a national as well as a regional and local approach is needed with municipalities, the police, the Public Prosecution Service (OM), but also with entrepreneurs and local residents. A lot of money is therefore being set aside to expand the approach on all fronts and to reduce organized (drug) crime. In the coalition agreement, this cabinet allocates more money every year: rising to a structural amount of 100 million euros from 2025. This money is in addition to the annual 434 million euros that was structurally released by the previous cabinet on Budget Day 2021.
Regional Information and Expertise Centers
The 40 million euros for the regional reinforcement comes from the Budget Day funds. An additional 10 million euros of this will be invested in the organizations of the 10 so-called Regional Information and Expertise Centers (RIECs) and the National Information and Expertise Center (LIEC). In the RIECs, all partners involved in a region work together in the fight against crime, such as municipalities, provinces, the police, the Public Prosecution Service, the Tax Authorities, Customs, FIOD, the Labor Inspectorate and the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. By collaborating and sharing expertise, these parties are increasingly aware of what is happening locally and regionally with regard to organized crime and its subversive effects.
In addition, 30 million euros will be invested to strengthen cooperation, knowledge sharing and implementation in the region. Each year, between 2.5 and 3 million euros extra is made available per RIEC to strengthen the approach in their region. Minister Yeşilgöz-Zegerius has asked the RIECs to make proposals for this. It is best for the partners within the RIECs to jointly determine what is required in terms of capacity, use of new techniques and other instruments in their area. Does it concern more administrative interventions, efforts in the field of criminal law by the police and the Public Prosecution Service and/or, for example, in the field of taxation by the Tax Authorities and in supervision by Customs? It is expected that the plans of the RIECs for the reinforcement will be ready in the autumn.