How did men like Willem Holleeder, Ridouan Taghi and Delano R. become such prominent figures in organised crime? Robby Roks, Associate Professor of Criminology at Erasmus School of Law, was a guest at De Willem Podcast to talk about how small-time neighbourhood criminals develop into key figures in organised crime.
The assassinations of Peter R. de Vries and Derk Wiersum rekindled the debate on addressing organised crime. Being tough on drugs crime does not work, as proven by the War on Drugs in the United States. What does work?
Roks thinks that more attention should be paid to criminals that evolve into heavy hitters in organised crime. These cases are too massive for the local neighbourhood police officer and too small to be picked up by the criminal investigation department. He also pleas for more measures focused on bridging social inequality in Dutch society. However, just prevention will not stop the development of young criminals. In certain situations, punishing these young criminals is also right. In general, it is always important to keep motivating the youth to stay on the right path.
In the podcast, Roks also spoke about his personal experiences with Delano R., also known as Keylow, and his current focus on drill rap and crime in the Port of Rotterdam.
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Click here for episode 144 of De Willem Podcast (in Dutch).