Samenvatting

Cross-border crime is a phenomenon that goes hand-in-hand with the abolishment of border controls in the Schengen zone and requires an international action plan. Warmerdam states that organized crime groups operate in networks and maintain close relations with each other to distribute their goods worldwide (A closer look at Joint Investigation Teams: The Dutch-Bulgarian JIT, 2014).
As part of the Stockholm Programme, the Internal Security Strategy (ISS) has set out specific
guidelines to tackle cross-border crime for the time period from 2010 to 2014. This Internal Security plan was heavily focused on the enhancement of EU institutions and information exchange systems in order to tackle cross-border crime. Nowadays, transportation hubs differ greatly in Europe in terms of security and structure. When it comes to trafficking illicit goods, organized crime groups select very carefully the air- or seaport of arrival. Private interests in these places make security unreliable, and the fear of long shipping times is one important reason why cargos are often poorly checked by customs. The Port of Antwerp,
renowned for its weak security, is seen as an important entry point for drugs and firearms. In addition, the Internet has become an important source for these firearms.
When it comes to the implementation of the information systems, the EU member states encounter different problems. An important bottleneck is the national differences in the structure of law enforcements authorities in member states. Every national law enforcement structure differs among the member states, which results in some states only having access to the system at the higher police department level. Furthermore, systems such as Schengen and SIENA are not used very frequently. It is significant that The Netherlands is one of the major SIENA users and that even there the use of SIENA is rare. The same goes for the Schengen system, as police officers in the Netherlands only tend to use it to verify information.
The extra costs associated with these systems, and organizations such as Frontex make it clear that the ISS lacked a good financial plan from the start. Therefore, there is no need to create new tools and systems, as Den Boer concludes: “The tools and systems are already there, created by agreement with national law enforcement institutions, therefore the EU should expand these systems instead of developing new ones ”. She further adds that the commitment and willingness to obtain benefits from these measures must come from the member states (M. den Boer, personal interview, May 9, 2015).