Four out of five targeted killings in the Netherlands are linked directly to cocaine trafficking, according to a study which shows that would-be killers frequently become involved in the criminal underworld at the age of 12 or 13.
However, the study in the specialist Dutch journal Policing and Science, debunks a view in criminology that killers are becoming younger and are often unknown to the authorities when they claim their first victim. Instead it says first-time killers are typically men with an average age of 29 and an average of 27 crimes on their records before their first targeted killing.
“There’s an impression that the perpetrators of many serious crimes are getting younger but that’s not the case with assassinations,” said police chief, Martin Stialsing. “What is true is that men who end up as killers tend to start out in the criminal underworld at a very young age, maybe 12 or 13. Poverty at home often plays a role – but so do existing criminal structures in the neighbourhoods where they grow up.”
The survey focuses on “assassinations” in the sense of targeted killings rather than on cases of murder or manslaughter. In particular it examines the 57 assassinations in the Netherlands between 2016 and 2021.
READ MORE
It finds, for example, that attacks in broad daylight are rare. Most assassinations happen at night, especially during the week, when the victims’ routines are clearer.
An example, it says, was the gangland assassination of lawyer and part-time judge Derk Wiersum, who was shot dead in 2019 as he said goodbye to his wife on their suburban doorstep in Amsterdam early in the morning – something he did every day.
Another example was the targeting of prime minister Mark Rutte, who was given extra personal security in late 2021 after “spotters” with gangland connections were identified tracking his movements, including as he cycled to and from work. At the time far-right leader, Geert Wilders, who has lived with 24-hour security for 20 years because of the threat of jihadist attacks, commiserated: “Terrible. Good luck, prime minister Rutte. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”
Ironically, the latest survey shows criminals are more likely to be assassinated by a killer from their own circle rather than by a rival. “Friendship in the criminal environment is very relative,” said Dr Sheila Adjiembaks, a researcher on the survey. “The motive can be anything from breach of contract to theft of money or drugs, or talking to the police or someone outside the gang.”
The survey came at the end of a week in which prosecutors demanded life sentences for three men allegedly involved in the killing of journalist Peter R de Vries – the most high-profile Dutch assassination of recent years
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Find The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Our In The News podcast is now published daily – Find the latest episode here
