Suddenly the police were at the door of several entrepreneurs on a business park in Brabant. Not because they had done something criminal, but because they surfaced in a new tool that is used to detect subversion. The suspicion turned out to be unjustified for all entrepreneurs, but the method will be used more often. “They treat you like you’re a serious criminal.”
Omroep Brabant, together with Lighthouse Reports, is conducting research into the use of data in the fight against fraud and subversion. We reviewed documents from several projects that are currently underway or have previously taken place in our province.
Indicators
On 28 September last year, eight car companies at the Ekkersrijt business park in Son en Breugel were knocked on the door. In front of the door was a delegation from the municipality, the police, the energy company, a security company and the environmental service and the Dommelstroom Intervention Team (DIT). The team includes the security region and the social investigation department. They came to see if there was any criminal activity.
Not because the police suspected them of anything, but because their name came up in the risk assessment tool for business parks. This tool was developed on behalf of the province of Gelderland and North Brabant. The provinces each paid 72,000 euros for this. On the basis of ‘indicators’ (car) companies are selected that could pose a risk.
Few reviews on Google
The list of indicators is long. As an entrepreneur, do you have few reviews on Google, is your company located in a remote street or do you have many expensive cars inside? Then you can just come into the picture.
Security cameras on the facade and the lack of a BOVAG membership make the chance of an inspection even greater. The indicators have been drawn up after ‘research and interviews with experts’. This also revealed, for example, having an old website as a possible risk of undermining.
‘Nothing found’
The impact of the inspection day on entrepreneurs is great. In the reports we see that no corner of the buildings has been missed. Pictures were taken of everything and all doors had to be opened. “They pretend you are a serious criminal,” one of the entrepreneurs told Omroep Brabant.
But were any cases found that point to subversion? At the eight addresses, the catch consisted of fire extinguishers hanging in the wrong place and a blocked emergency exit here and there. The inspectors also assess the cleanliness of the companies: ‘The general impression is that the company is very messy’, according to one of the reports. The municipality confirms that these cases have nothing to do with serious crime. “Nothing was found that indicated subversion,” said a spokesperson.
Other municipalities too
But still Son en Breugel is satisfied. The municipality calls it ‘quite conceivable’ that the tool will be used again. The municipality of Moerdijk and Cranendonck also want to use the tool on business parks this year.
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