The need for the day of action is great; the numbers do not lie. Three-quarters of SMEs face cybercrime, one in ten elderly people is scammed, and nearly one in five young people becomes a victim of online crime. In the fight against this form of crime, Not Today was organized for the second time. The initiative came from the police in East Netherlands, in collaboration with the Center for Safety and Digitalization (CVD), the East Netherlands Platform for Safe Entrepreneurship (PVO), Rijnbrink, and the East Netherlands Safety Network.
Gaming and Flyers
From the police in East Netherlands, almost every basic team organized an action, ranging from conversations with passersby at the Mobile Media Lab to guest lectures at schools. Officers also went to the market in several municipalities to distribute flyers about digital safety. In the afternoon, hundreds of young people were gaming with the police at the Pathé cinema in Nijmegen. Digital neighborhood officers engaged them in discussions about topics such as online bullying and sextortion.
In the municipality of Hof van Twente, entrepreneurs from the SME sector were presented with statements by IT company Deltics. This allowed the entrepreneurs to discuss the digital safety of their businesses. They also received practical tips on how to enhance their digital resilience.
Enthusiasm and Collaboration
In recent months, more than 180 organizations have joined, from schools and libraries to companies like the cybersecurity firm NorthWave. Jelly Knoll, an initiator of the day of action from the police, is pleased with the results. “So many enthusiastic organizations have invested energy in setting up actions! Beautiful collaborations have emerged, and agencies have given attention to digital safety from an intrinsic motivation. Together, we have made digital resilience a topic of discussion among young people, entrepreneurs, the elderly, and those with low literacy,” says Jelly.
Actions and Follow-Up
The kickoff event for the day of action was at the Plantion flower auction in Ede. Through presentations and workshops, dozens of entrepreneurs received practical tips on how to organize the cybersecurity of their businesses. They could also find out how digitally resilient their company is through a scan. Erwin Maas, Director of Investigations at Northwave, states: “As a cybersecurity company, we notice that many small and medium-sized businesses are vulnerable to cybercrime, especially ransomware. By participating in this day of action, we hope to raise awareness among companies about their digital resilience and encourage them to take preventive measures. Because by taking measures, companies can prevent victimization or reduce the impact of a cyberattack.”
On April 2, the national relay of the day of action Not Today began. The baton is being passed to the police in the Rotterdam and Midden-Nederland units. The day of action will also be organized again in East Netherlands in 2026.
ER