Removing undermining from the neighborhood and protecting residents from the toxic influence of this form of crime, among other things by providing assistance. That was the aim of the operation held on Tuesday in Rotterdam-South. Employees of the police, municipality, and housing corporation Woonstad Rotterdam visited several addresses.
The check is one of many checks being carried out this week throughout the region as part of the Week Against Undermining. A phenomenon that is invested in throughout the year. With information. To prevent people from getting involved with criminals. To make them resilient. But also to teach people how to recognize it and where they can report it.
What is undermining?
A burglar breaking into your house; a clear and visible example of crime. Undermining is often much less visible. Undermining is how criminals slowly and unobtrusively penetrate residential areas and shopping streets, doing their business with unpleasant consequences for the neighborhood. For example, a criminal who sublets a house from someone so that he can use that house for the storage of drugs, weapons, or money without being registered anywhere. Or to use the house for illegal prostitution or drug dealing.
Rental sector as a vulnerable group
Research by the RIEC Rotterdam has shown that particularly the social rental sector is attractive for abuse by criminals. Therefore, one of the actions in this Week Against Undermining is a check on the homes. Police, municipality, and housing corporations knocked on various homes on Tuesday for a chat with the residents. From care and prevention, but also with a check, each within their own powers. These checks take place regularly, but this time they did it together and as part of the National Program Rotterdam South (NPRZ). In this 20-year partnership, the State, the municipality of Rotterdam, corporations, care institutions, school boards, employers, police, and Public Prosecution Service work towards a healthy future for Rotterdam-South. Together, these partners ensure that the opportunities of residents of Rotterdam-South are increased in the areas of work, education, housing, and safety.
Cutting House
In one of the homes, the police found a cutting house. A cutting house is a property where drugs are cut and mixed with other substances to increase the volume and thus earn more from the drugs. With the help of presses, the drugs are pressed back into a block, after which they can be packaged. In the house, besides 21 blocks (suspected) heroin and cutting agents, there were also presses used in this process. One person has been arrested. It concerns a 29-year-old man from India.
Keep crime out of your neighborhood
Want to know more about what undermining is? Watch this video: https://youtu.be/YISAychGQ9E
If you want to know how to recognize undermining in your neighborhood, take a look at www.houdmisdaaduitjebuurt.nl. If you see suspicious situations in your neighborhood, report it to the police at 0900-8844 or, if urgent, at 112. If you want to report but prefer to remain anonymous, you can contact M. at 0800-7000.