Over 100 human trafficking arrests since May

The Dutch Police have arrested over 110 human trafficking offenders in the last six months. The tackle on human trafficking is therefore "effective", wrote Justice Secretary Fred Teeven in a letter to Tweede Kamer on 24 November. The human trafficking offenders were targeting asylum seekers, attempting to bring them into the Netherlands for a fee. During the course of spring this year, the number of Eritreans seeking asylum in the Netherlands suddenly spiked, and this raised suspicions that many were being trafficked. Teeven said he founded a nationwide, large scale action unit consisting of military police, prosecutors, police and immigration personnel. Immigration would report all suspicious asylum seekers to military police. "The majority of Syrians and Eritreans who come to the Netherlands, invoke protection. They are provided with residence permits because they are in danger in their own country" said Teeven in his letter. The Justice Secretary also went on to say that human trafficking is not perpetuated by criminal gangs, but they are however, rather organized. The majority of refugees enter through Italy, and travel by bus, train, plane or car to the Netherlands. The Marechaussee military police and civilian police force have asked transportation companies to be alert, and have also conducted their own audits.