Financial economic crime is a serious social problem. It damages trust between citizens, businesses and the government. Within the KPCN, the Financial Economic Crime team (“FINEC”) was set up in 2022 to combat this form of crime. For example, various criminal investigations are underway against money laundering, fraud and embezzlement, among other things. In addition, FINEC provides active support in regular investigations of other KPCN investigation departments.

FINEC also develops investigative tools for the analysis of financial data. In collaboration with the Dutch Police, FINEC has developed an analysis tool for bank transactions. There was close cooperation with MCB, RBC and Banco di Caribe. It is now possible to make large amounts of bank transactions searchable, which contributes to good and sound financial research.

Financial crime often takes place under the radar. That is why FINEC has an active, externally oriented institution in order to arrive at new criminal investigations. FINEC analyzes a multitude of suspicious signals reported by, for example, banks, civil-law notaries, advisers and lawyers. This leads to new investigative cases and a deeper understanding of the financial crime landscape in the Caribbean Netherlands.

Financial crime manifests itself in a multitude of forms. Examples include all kinds of fraud, but also the laundering of criminally earned money. Fraud damages the trust between the perpetrator and the victim. The breach of trust often extends further to companies or social institutions that have the task of protecting citizens.

With money laundering, the victimization is less immediately visible, but the consequences are certainly no less tangible. For example, someone purchases real estate for rent with his criminally earned money. This limits the opportunities for ordinary people looking for a place to live. The same applies to investments of criminal money in bars and hotels. Then legitimate entrepreneurs have a direct competitive disadvantage compared to the companies of money laundering criminals.

Formatively, the KPCN FINEC team consists of two full-time financial investigators. Over the next three years, colleagues from the Fiscal Intelligence and Investigation Service (FIOD, In Dutch: Fiscale Inlichtingen en Opsporingsdienst) and the National Police from the European Netherlands will strengthen this team in terms of both intelligence and investigation capacity. There is also intensive cooperation with the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and the aim is to create an independent and fully-fledged specialist FINEC team within the KPCN.

If you have any indications of financial economic crime, you can report this by telephone during working days on 715 8000 and ask for the FINEC department. Furthermore, reports can also be made via our anonymous tip line 9310 or via email at politie@politiecn.com.  This is how we make the Caribbean Netherlands safer together.

KPCN