Supporting business owners in the fight against organised crime
Minister Yeşilgöz-Zegerius (Justice and Security) is working with business owners to boost efforts to tackle organised crime and prevent criminals from abusing our open economy and high-quality infrastructure. A new action programme, Safe Enterprise 2023-2026, will set out agreements with various sectors and with two business associations – the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (VNO-NCW) and the Dutch Federation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MKB-Nederland). Through the programme, the Minister will be investing an additional €10 million annually in the regional Safe Enterprise Platforms (‘Platforms Veilig Ondernemen’, or PVOs) to enhance the resilience of businesses across the Netherlands against organised and subversive crime.
Tackling organised and subversive crime is a priority for the government. Under the current Coalition Agreement, the government will be substantially increasing its spending on this every year, reaching a sum of €100 million from 2025. This is in addition to the annual €434 million euros released by the previous government on Budget Day in 2021.Tackling crime is about prevention, breaking down criminal networks and revenue models, punishment and protection. According to Minister Yeşilgöz-Zegerius, it’s essential to work with businesses, farmers and independent entrepreneurs on this. A number of different initiatives have already been launched for this purpose, and the Minister aims to strengthen these.
‘Organised crime is constantly trying to find new ways to launder money and to pursue illegal practices by infiltrating legitimate businesses. Farmers and people living in rural areas see criminals looking for barns to set up drug labs. Lorry drivers and harbour staff see drug smugglers who have no qualms about using violence and intimidation to get their illegal cargo on board. And in shopping streets and business parks, legitimate business owners quickly pick up on new neighbours engaging in murky practices. Business owners are often quick to spot the emergence of criminal structures and they are well placed to suggest what measures are needed. It’s essential that we work together to prevent criminal networks from undermining the safety of our society, and to disrupt those networks.’
said Minister Yeşilgöz-Zegerius.
PVOs and examples of increasing resilience
The extra €10 million for strengthening the PVOs will come from the Budget Day finances. The use of those funds will be decided upon within the 10 regional PVOs. The police, Public Prosecution Service, municipal authorities, industry associations and businesses work together within the PVOs to raise awareness among business owners of the dangers of subversive criminal activity and to take measures to prevent those business owners from being affected by such activity. Research carried out as part of new agreements set out in the national action programme Safe Enterprise 2023-2026 revealed that business owners would like more support to improve their resilience to criminal activity.
For example, the Southern Agricultural and Horticultural Organisation (Zuidelijke Land- en Tuinbouworganisatie, ZLTO) – which supports agricultural businesses in the regions of South Gelderland, North Brabant and Zealand – has launched a pilot project with the support of the Ministry of Justice and Security to provide a confidential adviser in rural areas. A report on ‘resilient farmers in vulnerable areas’ found that almost 1 in 5 farmers and horticulturalists have been approached at some point by criminals who wanted to use their empty barns and sheds for drug production, and their slurry pit to dispose of drug waste. For 1 in 3 agricultural business owners, this was an intimidating experience. The confidential advisor for rural areas is someone that farmers, horticulturalists and local residents can turn to if they have any questions, need help, or suspect any subversive criminal activity in their local area.
In the transport sector, too, business owners, their drivers and other staff will be made more aware of drug smuggling and the dangers associated with it. The Transport Facilitated Organized Crime programme will be scaled up by the Infrastructure Service within the Central Unit of the National Police Force, in partnership with the wider transport sector (including the industry association Transport and Logistics Netherlands) and the Ministry of Justice and Security. The aim of this is to combat criminal activity at logistics hubs as well as to prevent drug smuggling from moving beyond the gates and walls of ports and airports. It will include training transport business owners and their staff on how to recognise suspicious activity more promptly, and how to respond when they encounter such activity.