Targeted police efforts against people smuggling is bearing fruit

At the request of Minister of Security and Internal Affairs Jan Jambon, the federal police have launched targeted control campaigns since last month in an effort to combat human smuggling and illicit human trafficking. “After just two weeks we already arrested 350 people without documents and two smugglers,” said the Minister.

The daily unannounced inspections take place all over the country, not just on motorways, but also on trains and in airports. The police also specifically monitor the border on a regular basis, always target routes that are known to be used by traffickers. When the police find people without identity documents during controls, they are first thoroughly investigated by the police before they can register with the Immigration Office.

Dissuasive effect
The targeted police controls serve a dual purpose. “On the one hand we hope to dissuade people traffickers and asylum seekers who are not entitled to asylum. We need to increase the subjective chances of being caught as much as possible,” Jambon explains. “On the other hand we want everyone in the territory to be known by the government and where necessary also be vetted”.