Police launch ‘largest recruitment drive ever’ to ‘fight financial crime’

The federal judicial police want to step up the fight against financial and economic crime. This is necessary because, according to reports, more than 1,000 new cases were opened last year. More than 800 of these involved money laundering.

‘This exceptional reinforcement, covering the entire country, represents an unprecedented investment by the federal government in the fight against this phenomenon. It is also a unique opportunity for financial professionals who want to put their skills at the service of the public at large,’ the federal police say in a press release.

‘This will enable us to launch more investigations and manage them more thoroughly. Increasing the number of financial investigators also means hitting criminal organisations where it hurts: in their wallets,’ director-general Laurent Blondiau said.

Experience in finance or economics

‘Partly due to the Sky ECC case, (when police hacked an encrypted communication network used by criminals), the size of criminal organisations, the money involved and the large profits they make have become increasingly apparent in recent years,’ adds spokesperson An Berger. ‘We have been working on this for several years. We call it “follow the money”. We try to map out the money flows. We want to do even more of that. The government has also made that choice, hence this recruitment drive.’

‘We are mainly looking for people who are familiar with accounting or who have studied finance and economics. Business management is also an option. On the one hand, they will assist other investigators in their investigations. We encounter money laundering structures in almost 80 per cent of criminal organisations. The new financial investigators will also be able to launch their own investigations, for example, into financial fraud.’

‘Federal judicial police mainly investigate the really large organisations that set up large commercial structures to launder money, also abroad. These investigations are often very complex, which is why we need specialised people. Such investigations often take a long time, and your evidence must also be correct. We rely on people who want to add value to society and are truly committed to the fight. It is truly mind-boggling how much money is involved.’

‘We are looking for people who want to become chief inspectors and who have a bachelor's degree. We are also looking for people who want to become inspectors and who studied economics in secondary school. Depending on the position, the training programme lasts 12 or 14 months, during which you will receive a wage from the start.’

The federal police are organising an online information session for interested parties on Tuesday 24 March.