Several mayors have been intimidated in recent years as a result of problems at holiday parks. That writes Minister Dilan Yesilgöz (Justice and Security, VVD) in the answering questions from the House of Representatives of the SP about crime in these parks. This concerns, for example, situations where holiday parks did not receive a permit for expansion. The minister called the intimidation “very worrying”. When asked, she did not explain in more detail how many incidents were involved and where they took place.
The Netherlands has an estimated 5,000 holiday parks. Reports regularly appear about holiday parks where criminal activities take place. In addition to illegal habitation, this includes money laundering and drug trafficking and production. Criminals also appear to be hiding in the holiday parks.
In Bospark Ede, part of one of the country’s largest holiday park operators Topparken, the internationally wanted Toon R. was arrested in 2020 by an arrest team. He is the nephew of the ‘Godfather of Oss’ Martien R. who was sentenced to 16 years in prison last year for money laundering, drug and arms trafficking.
When Toon R. was arrested, the police also found a loaded firearm and a van full of drug chemicals. A year later, when the police carried out a new check on Bospark Ede because of a project to combat crime and subversion at holiday parks, it turned out that about ninety people were living illegally. A considerable one turned out to be known to the police.
Criminal Investments
Last June, the RIEC Oost-Nederland, a government organization against subversion, released an alarming investigative report into criminal investments in holiday parks in Gelderland and Overijssel. Holiday parks are vulnerable to criminal investments and are misused to launder criminal money, the RIEC notes. In three years, for example, banks brought 265 suspicious transactions to the attention of the reporting centre. The RIEC suspects that ‘criminal investments in holiday parks are more frequent than has been reported so far’.
Investments in holiday chalets, for example, often remain under the radar because chalets – unlike homes – are not listed in the Land Registry and the trade therefore takes place out of sight of the authorities. The Telegraph reported in June on the basis of a research report by a private detective agency and secret video recordings that it is possible at Topparken to purchase chalets partly with black money. The mayor of Arnhem Ahmed Marcouch, also chairman of the RIEC East Netherlands, argued for a national approach to holiday park crime.
Supervision at municipalities
Minister Yesilgöz now writes to the House of Representatives that such a national approach already exists. There is in fact an ‘action agenda’ in which various ministries are involved. This should lead to wrong parks being ‘better in the picture’ and that there will be ‘more awareness’ among local administrators. The minister points out that the responsibility for the supervision of holiday parks lies with municipalities.
Topparken left after the RIEC report and the Telegraphpublication about money laundering do not recognize themselves in the stories and distance themselves from them.
The company is not the only major holiday park player that recently received negative news. For example, a branch of Europarcs in Kaatsheuvel recently escaped closure after a negative Bibob test, which showed that the operating license would be misused to commit criminal offences. In the AD five mayors raised the alarm this summer about the modus operandi of the Oostappen Group of entrepreneur and TV celebrity Peter Gillis. He would, among other things, illegally house migrant workers on his parks and build and expand without a permit.