Drug crime and its associated undermining are among the greatest security threats facing the Netherlands. Over the past ten years, the undermining problem in the Netherlands has been increasing due in particular to criminal organizations dealing in drugs. These organizations use the Dutch infrastructure as a hub for the illegal drug trade in which violence is not shunned. The undermining committed by the criminal organizations affects the democratic legal order, leading to social disruption. In the summer of 2022, a national integrated undermining approach was launched to which the probation service contributes. Its contribution consists of working through the patterns of criminal organizations and careers and offering young people an alternative to prevent them from falling deeper into crime. In doing so, the probation service cooperates with the police, the Public Prosecutor's Office, the prison system and municipalities. The deployment of the probation service provides interesting insights and calls for smarter international cooperation to halt the rise of undermining crime.

 

Moderated by Heidi Washington, Board Member, ICPA, United States