Skip to main content
Home

Main navigation

  • Top stories
  • Health
  • Crime
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Tech
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Weird
  • 1-1-2
Image
Ferdinand Grapperhaus
Ferdinand Grapperhaus (front, left) at the International Missions Remembrance Medal during the World Forum in The Hague. Nov. 1, 2018 - Credit: Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0
Crime
Politics
Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius
Ministry of Justice and Security
undermining crime
Multidisciplinary Intervention Team
Ferdinand Grapperhaus
Derk Wiersum
Wednesday, 14 September 2022 - 08:42
Share this:
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
  • reddit

Millions pushed into fighting crime that undermines society had little effect

It is unclear whether the millions of euros the Dutch government pushed into fighting undermining crime had any effect. Over the past years, the government allocated 916 million euros to 163 projects to fight this form of subversive crime. But none of these projects had a measurable result, a joint study by Investico, Follow the Money, Argo, and De Groene Amsterdammer concluded.

Since 2017, the government launched a “carousel” of projects, task forces, and work meetings, the researchers said. But five years later, not even the Ministry of Justice and Security can say which projects are still ongoing, which have flopped, and what they cost. Projects overlap, and funds have been shuffled to such an extent that nothing is clear anymore, the researchers concluded from documents received through an appeal to the Open Government (Public Access) Act.

The largest and most expensive project is the Multidisciplinary Intervention Team (MIT), established in 2019 by then Justice Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus after the murder of Amsterdam defense lawyer Derk Wiersum. The project cost 160 million euros but never became operational. It never left “The Hague drawing board,” the researchers said.

According to the researchers, people involved warned from early on that the MIT would not be a success, but their criticism got ignored. Other police departments worried that their specialists would be recruited away for this team, which happened to some extent. But Jan Struijs of the police union NPB heard from these new MIT members that they had no work and fulfilled their old duties just so they didn't sit around with nothing to do.

Struijs and professor of Security Bob Hoogenboom blamed the failure of the MIT on a lack of vision, endless bureaucracy, and a Minister more focused on image than content.

Earlier this year, Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius of Justice and Security intervened at the MIT. According to her, too little was happening because there was too much talk. She transferred some of the team’s tasks to other police units and renamed it the National Cooperation against Subversive Crime (NSOC).

Follow us:

Latest stories

  • Bladel man sentenced to juvenile detention for New Year's Eve fatal stabbing
  • Hundreds of AI-written books available on Dutch webshop Bol.com: Report
  • Utrecht University chose not to be included on the Times Higher Education rankings
  • Rotterdam shootings suspect may have targeted Erasmus MC exam board member
  • Overweight people more likely to die of Covid-19, Dutch study confirms
  • Rotterdam shootings suspect expressed right-wing extremist views online

Top stories

  • Erasmus MC lecturer killed in Rotterdam shootings described as amiable, involved GP
  • Erasmus hospital was warned about student Fouad L., suspected of killing 3 in Rotterdam
  • Annual inflation rate drops to 0.2%, lowest in 7 years; Groceries 10% more expensive
  • Third victim, a 14-year-old girl, dies from injuries in Rotterdam shootings
  • Two killed, teen critically injured in Rotterdam shootings; Suspect a med student
  • Suspect arrested in Erasmus hospital shooting and fires; At least one dead

© 2012-2023, NL Times, All rights reserved.

Footer menu

  • Privacy
  • Contact
  • Partner content