Getting a grip on cocaine smuggling and human trafficking at the port

What are the biggest challenges regarding the port?

“The port of Rotterdam is the largest in Europe and the main access route for many goods. That includes cocaine. You only need to open the newspaper, and you will read about cocaine smuggling and the crime involved. Furthermore, human trafficking takes place in the port, especially towards the United Kingdom. Much is being done to improve port security and close off opportunities for smuggling. A question arises as to whether this also puts more pressure on port employees. This could lead to more corruption, for example. Explosions in the city are also partly linked to the better sealing of the port.”

What do you want to achieve with FORT-PORT?

‘FORT-PORT is short for Focusing On the Right Things in the Port of Rotterdam. We want to better understand how human trafficking and cocaine smuggling take place and traverse the port. But also how both phenomena are intertwined with the city. Think, for example, about drug fetchers and how they are recruited. We only know part of how criminal organisations work, so it is difficult to respond to them with your approach. From people involved, we consistently hear: ‘We do a lot, but how do we know if we are doing the right things?”

So you are also focusing on tackling crime in the project?

“The project puts a lot of emphasis on tackling and cooperating in the port and the hinterland. Many public and private parties are involved in the approach, from the Seaport Police and educational institutions to shipping companies. For a successful approach, cooperation is crucial. One of the things we have learned is how important trust is. Working on mutual trust takes time and requires long-term cooperation. That is why it is very good that so many parties have joined this project. That way, parties in the field utilise knowledge, and you can make an impact. We want to investigate the cooperation and attend consultations. In those observations, we then see what those involved are talking about, whether that matches our knowledge about the nature of smuggling and any problems in the cooperation are discussed.”

Besides numerous social partners, other universities are also involved in the project. What can you tell us about those collaborations?

“We are collaborating with TU Delft’s School of Mathematics and Computer Science, among others. Whereas we look more qualitatively and record stories and experiences, the researchers at TU Delft look at crime more numerically. It is very valuable to compare different perspectives. Together, we are working on a model to predict how drug traffic flows through the port. We are also working together with the Serious Game Centre of Utrecht University. We are developing a serious game to collect data, but we also want to deliver this game to partners. This way, educational institutions can play it with their students to make them more aware of how criminal organisations work and to make them more resilient. This is important because students are the port employees of the future.”

In your view, when will the project have succeeded?

“When we have a better understanding of how criminal organisations work and how human trafficking and cocaine smuggling are intertwined in the city. Rotterdam is leading the way in terms of cooperation, and it would be valuable if we could strengthen that cooperation further with this project. We are also collaborating with a theatre company to put on a performance. We hope this will spark social debate on the issues of cocaine smuggling and human trafficking and how these phenomena are intertwined with life in a big city like Rotterdam. Ultimately, we want the city and the port to become more resilient to crime. That is the goal to which we are contributing.”