Central government and business sector join forces against criminal interference
Criminals must be kept out. Not only from government, but also from businesses. Today, Minister of Justice and Security David van Weel and chairman of MKB-Nederland Jacco Vonhof agreed to work together in the fight against criminal interference in the business sector. Government and the business sector have agreed to work together more closely to reduce the threat from subversive crime and make businesses more resilient to criminal influence.
The Netherlands has an open economy with a favourable geographical location and excellent logistical, financial and legal infrastructure. All of this contributes to our economic growth and our position in international trade. That position unfortunately also makes the Netherlands attractive to criminals. Criminal interference can take various forms and is not limited to a specific sector or industry. This is why the business community wants to reduce vulnerabilities among entrepreneurs across the board and form a united front with the government against crime.
The National Crime Control Platform is a partnership between government and the business community. The platform focuses on tackling various forms of crime against the business sector. In the platform, the central government, police, Public Prosecution Service and the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG) work together with business organisations such as the VNO-NCW [Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers], MKB-Nederland [Dutch Federation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises], Transport en Logistiek Nederland [the Dutch Transport Operators Association], BOVAG [Association of Motor Car, Garage and Allied Trades], Retail. Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (KHN), Association of Insurers, the Dutch Banking Association (NVB).
In the meeting of the National Crime Control Platform, it was agreed today that the risks in business sectors would be jointly mapped out in order to identify vulnerabilities to criminal interference. With a joint approach, central government and the business sector aim to further reduce criminal interference.
Ministry of Justice and Security David van Weel: "Criminals can only succeed with help from within. This requires awareness in government and the business community about vulnerabilities in processes and functions. By taking action together, we can make businesses more resilient against subversive crime."