On Thursday, November 1, 2018, COFFERS project coordinator Brigitte Unger presented her research on organised crime and its effects in the Netherlands to a Dutch parliamentary hearing at the House of Representatives.

The parliamentary hearing on the ‘nature, scope and approach of undermining’ addressed a growing problem in the Netherlands. Although there have been notable decreases in the levels of traditional crimes such as robberies, domestic burglaries and violence, new forms of crime have begun to undermine society. These new forms of crime damage social structures themselves or erode public conficence in them.

With criminals now active in residential areas, companies and the internet crime takes place both in the upper and lower worlds with drug trafficking, arms trade and liquidations being prominent  examples of undermining criminal activities.

Armed with a budget of 100 million Euros the Dutch Government is seeking to aggressivily combat undermining crime with a further 10 million euros being made available from 2019.

Presenting her research Brigitte Unger demonstrated that the mediums of drug trafficking and fraud were the principal instruments used by criminals in money laundering but expressed concern at the lack of attention given to the increasing fraud and white collar crime in the Netherlands.