All Dutch police officers to tackle cybercrime in daily duties

Tackling cybercrime is soon set to become part of the daily duties of all police officers in the Netherlands. With online crime increasing, the Netherlands is shifting away from small specialised teams towards the entire police force being trained in digital skills.

More than half of crime in the Netherlands happens online

Cybercrime is increasing globally, with more than half of all crime in the Netherlands occurring on the internet. To combat this, in the coming years all Dutch police officers will do their part to tackle cybercrime. 

“Online crime used to be something only for highly specialised teams within the police. That is no longer possible,” head of cybercrime for the Dutch national police Stan Duijf told AD. “Combating online crime is simply police work. In the coming years, it must become a daily part of the work for all 60.000 officers.”

While the shift will take place over the next few years, new officers are already being trained to improve their digital skills when completing basic police training. Taking reports of internet fraud and detecting online crime are also being taught to officers. 

Addressing cybercrime becomes priority for Dutch police

In just 2023, victims of online fraud lost a total of 100 million euros, which doesn’t even account for the psychological damage they experienced. Figures from the Ministry of Economic Affairs also revealed that all cyber incidents that have taken place in the Netherlands, including those affecting businesses, have resulted in 10 billion euros in damages.

For this reason, combating cybercrime will be given top priority in coming years, with the help of cyber specialists in national and regional teams for major investigations, and collaborations with other countries. Up until now, reports of online scams have not been prioritised as the cases are often viewed as too complex, with little chance of catching the perpetrator or because the police are already stretched thin with other crime.

In 2024, the Dutch police had the slowest response times in 10 years, mainly due to staff shortages. "As the police, we are going to invest more centrally in analysis, so that we can tackle cybercrime in a coherent and more effective way," said Duijf. 

There will be more focus on identifying patterns and linking related cases. “As the police, we often still look at reports too narrowly. We shouldn't look at those cases individually,” explained Duijf. “Often, many more people have become victims. The trick is to look at the bigger picture. At patterns, at clusters. And then tackle that. That is why every report is so incredibly important.”

Cyberattacks and data hacks more common

Earlier this year, Odido was hit by a major cyberattack that saw the data of 6,2 million customers leaked. Since then, there have been more companies targeted by hackers, such as Booking.com and Basic-Fit, as well as ChipSoft, which stores healthcare data. 

According to Justice Minister David van Weel, these kinds of cyberattacks will happen more and more often in the future. “If you don’t want to be hacked, you should turn off the computer and put it in a box in the basement,” Van Weel told ANP. 

“But then it isn’t of much use. It is a constant balancing act between making things workable and minimising the risk of being hacked.” The Dutch parliament recently passed the Cybersecurity Act, which requires companies to set up adequate cybersecurity.