Minister Van Oosten: “Undermining by organized crime poses a serious threat to our society, undermines national security, and disrupts the democratic rule of law. Therefore, we continue unabated in taking measures to effectively tackle undermining crime: prevention, disruption, punishment, and protection.”
The letter presents several concrete results. Prevention with authority continues with a substantial investment of over 200 million euros. This enables 27 municipalities, based on new plans, to prevent young people from sliding into or advancing within organized crime. This is done by offering them opportunities for a positive future but also by setting clear boundaries on criminal behavior.
The Netherlands has also trained customs and police officers from Ecuador, in cooperation with Customs. Additionally, police liaisons have been placed in foreign ports, contributing to knowledge exchange with Latin America. This improves the security of both the (air)ports in the Netherlands and the region against drug smuggling and violence. In the field of combating corruption, a toolkit has been developed that allows government organizations to map and address their own risks of corruption and undermining. Furthermore, a framework has been introduced to prevent corrupt officials from easily job hopping between government organizations. Regarding money laundering, the Financial Intelligence Unit Netherlands now has the ability to request banks to execute urgent freezes, enabling faster counteraction of criminal transactions. Moreover, impact assessments show that the public campaign Report Crime Anonymously has positive effects on recognizing suspicious signals and increasing citizens willingness to act, such as discussing signals with neighbors or reporting to the police or housing corporations.
The cabinet emphasizes that a broad and continuously strong approach to undermining remains essential. Therefore, the letter also presents several future plans. For example, the Threat Assessment Undermining Netherlands, which will be published for the first time next year, will provide more insight into the social impact of undermining and indicate the damage caused. This insight offers the possibility to sharpen the approach further. To strengthen international cooperation, from 2026 onwards, four million euros will be structurally invested annually in international and bilateral cooperation projects. Cooperation with countries where criminal assets flow to will also continue. With these measures and plans, the Netherlands remains determined to combat undermining crime on all fronts and to ensure the safety and stability of society.