AMSTERDAM: The Police in the Netherlands have warned that the country is becoming a ‘Narco-state’ with the development of a parallel economy alongside legal trade and the police are feeling overwhelmed.
The Police force is also suffering from major limitations in capacity and urge an increase in funding. The report released by the police union alleges that they are forced to focus investigative attention only on violent crimes like murder or robberies and that only one in nine criminal gangs can be appropriately pursued. Organised criminal activity has also seen an uptick due to limited resources.
Some cases are often completely dropped off or significantly delayed, allowing criminals to transform into entrepreneurs making large investments in other industries.
“In the last 25 years I have seen small dealers grow into large entrepreneurs with good contacts in politics and into so-called respected investors,” said one detective quoted in the English-language NLTimes website.
The police have requested resources to hire an additional staff of 2,000 and improve inter-agency coordination.
