National Threat Assessment 2008. Organised Crime - Politie

4.8.5 Consequences for Dutch society
An important part of the consequences for Dutch society consists of financial
loss in the form of loss of income for the regular business community.
In addition, handlers ensure that thefts are profitable for thieves, which means
that they contribute to the perpetuation of all kinds of theft.
4.8.6 Conclusion
The number of thefts recorded by the police every year is 800,000. The
number of handling offences recorded every year is between 2,000 and 5,000.
These figures illustrate that handling offences are relatively rarely discovered by
the police.
Criminal organisations have been identified, but the extent to which the
criminals involved work with each other in relation to handling is unclear.
Most of the consequences of the handling of stolen goods are financial in
nature, due to the loss of income suffered by the business community. In
addition, handlers contribute to the continuation of theft. However, as the scale
and the level of involvement of criminal organisations is unclear, it is difficult to
estimate the damage caused by the consequences. The findings on the subject
of the handling of stolen goods result in this phenomenon being qualified
as a blind spot.
178 National Threat Assessment 2008 – Organised crime