Subversion

Subversive Crime

Criminals use legitimate businesses and services for their illegal activities. These include transportation, storage, housing, and financial services. As a result, social norms erode, and the sense of safety and quality of life declines. This effect is also known as subversion.

Examples of subversive activities include marijuana farms or ecstasy labs in warehouses or homes, money laundering through businesses, human trafficking, and healthcare fraud.

Are you concerned about safety in your neighborhood because of this kind of criminal behavior? Do you see, hear, or smell something that doesn't seem right? If so, please report it. Only by working together can we keep Voorschoten safe.

You can report an issue in 3 simple steps

1. Noticing and Recognizing

  • Subversive crime often takes place in secret. But if you pay close attention, you can spot the signs. See below for telltale signs.

2. Write it down

  • Have you noticed one or more of the above signs of subversive activity? If so, please note down any relevant details, such as license plate numbers and descriptions of suspicious individuals. Also note the date and time of your observations.

3. Report

  • Report by Phone

Report your suspicions to the local police by calling0900-8844. Otherwise, please stay out of the picture. Would you like to remain anonymous? If so, you can report your suspicions by calling Report Crime Anonymously at0800-7000.

  • Online Reporting

Don’t keep your suspicions of subversive activity to yourself—report what you know to the municipality or to Report Crime Anonymously. Even if you’re not sure. To report something to the municipality, you can send an email to meld.ondermijning@voorschoten.nl. 

Would you like to file a report? Look for any of the following signs:

Drugs

This may involve a location where a cannabis farm or drug lab is located, but it may also involve the trafficking or dealing of drugs.

Production

  • A building equipped with security cameras or a dangerous-looking guard dog
  • All the windows of a building are covered, or the roller shutters are always closed
  • The smell of marijuana or chemicals (anise or almond scent)
  • Blue containers or jugs of chemicals in places where you wouldn't expect them
  • Visiting a building or warehouse at unusual times
  • A van that drives into a building to unload or that unloads right up against a building
  • IBC containers (transparent white or black plastic containers in a steel frame)
  • No snow on the roof, but there is snow on the neighbors' roofs
  • Flickering lights caused by illegal power tapping
  • Multiple cell phones, lots of text messages

Trade

  • Covert transfer of money or packages/envelopes/bags
  • Traffic from (known) users/dealers
  • Visitors who are staying in and/or near the building for a short time
  • Cars driving by or parking (briefly)
  • Low income but a strikingly expensive spending pattern

Money Laundering

  • A store, restaurant, or café that almost never has any customers, but still manages to stay in business
  • Commercial property but no business activity whatsoever
  • A luxurious lifestyle that is out of proportion to the company's revenue
  • Notable cash expenditures

Human Trafficking

Examples of human trafficking include forced prostitution and labor exploitation.

  • The victim does not have any identification
  • Signs of violence in victims
  • Imposing Fines for Minor Violations by Employers or Landlords
  • Sparsely Clothed Women in Inappropriate Locations
  • A hunch that the prostitute is not working voluntarily

Healthcare Fraud

Examples of potential healthcare fraud include:

  • A care facility where care recipients reside is being used for criminal activities
  • Care clients are being used in hemp cultivation, or there are cases of sexual exploitation or human trafficking
  • There are cases of sexual exploitation of care clients
  • Healthcare clients are being threatened or intimidated
  • A healthcare facility provides no care or insufficient care, but still bills funds from a person-specific budget

Juvenile Delinquency

  • Low income but expensive clothes and new things
  • Large amounts of (unexplained) cash, drugs in possession
  • Multiple cell phones, lots of text messages
  • Covert transfer of money or packages/envelopes/bags

What exactly does the municipality do?

The municipality of Voorschoten aims to identify, prevent, and address subversion. It does so in collaboration with partners, such as the police.

Identify

We identify potential issues by working with residents and business owners to stay vigilant. For example, through a public awareness campaign, we show people how to recognize suspicious situations. Because together, we can spot much more. We also want to raise awareness so that people don’t become victims of crime themselves. 

Prevention

We want to prevent criminals from settling in our municipality. That is why we take a critical look at questionable applications—for permits, for example. We also ensure that residents, business owners, and the municipality itself are able to defend themselves against criminals, in part by providing information. 

Get to work

We regularly conduct comprehensive inspections. These are joint inspections with various partners, such as the police and the Environmental Agency. Together, we investigate whether there are any irregularities. This could involve, for example, the closure of a building or the police apprehending suspects. Solving a case in our municipality often helps solve cases in other parts of the country as well.