Preconditions

Cooperation with Community Safety Partnerships

Municipalities cooperate with regional Community Safety Partnerships for person-centred approaches to a so-called 'multiplicity of problems'. A Community Safety Partnership involves partners from the judiciary and care sector and municipalities working together on a structural basis on a variety of themes, such as people with misunderstood/confused behaviour, violence in relationships of dependency and radicalisation.

When it comes to the person-centred approach (PGA), the majority of municipalities use the expertise of the regional Community Safety Partnership. The municipality continues to be responsible for supervising the approach and the Community Safety Partnership manages the process. In most instances this means that the Community Safety Partnership chairs the case consultation, arranges reporting in the form of an integrated action plan and brings the right partners to the table. Besides these executive tasks, the Community Safety Partnership is also a regional centre of expertise on the subject of radicalisation and has trained process coordinators.

Regional cooperation

Besides cooperation with the Community Safety Partnership, there are several examples of regional partnerships which are jointly intended to possess the right expertise, draw up joint policy and implement it. The following are four examples of such partnerships:

1. Safe North Holland (Noord-Holland-Veilig)

From 2019 onwards local professionals within the North Holland Regional Unit have worked together on prioritised security themes. The Integrated Security Multi-Year Policy Plan for the province of Noord-Holland 2024 - 2027 (Integraal Meerjarenbeleidsplan Veiligheid Noord-Holland 2024 - 2027) is the joint policy framework for integrated security. It outlines the regional goals and results of the security partners in the North Holland Regional Unit. The four prioritised regional security themes in North Holland are: subversion, cybercrime and digitised crime, civil unrest and radicalisation, and youth and security.

This Multi-Year Policy Plan reflects the commitment of the 32 municipalities, the Public Prosecution Service and the North Holland Regional Unit to the agreed security priorities and their agreement on how they will work together, each on the basis of their own role and task, to create a province which is safe and pleasant to live in.

2. Provincial cooperation with administrative Counterterrorism, Extremism and Radicalisation (CTER) portfolio manager

The province of Limburg is working at provincial level to tackle radicalisation, extremism and terrorism. In the Regional Inter-authority Consultation Committee, the mayor of Roermond is the administrative portfolio manager for this topic.

All the partners in the province of Limburg participate in a six-week consultation to discuss key issues (including national products and current affairs). New cases are assessed in terms of their eligibility for a case consultation at provincial level, while the municipalities continue to fulfil a supervisory role. There are also a number of different theme-based working groups, including a working group that organises the Limburg theme day and a working group dedicated to organising knowledge and skills at provincial level.

3. Rotterdam region security alliance (VAR)

The VAR is a partnership of 23 municipalities, the police and the Public Prosecution Service within the Rotterdam Regional Unit, and functions as a platform to share knowledge and experience. The VAR also supports regional cooperation between partners by actively identifying, agenda setting, initiating and connecting. In doing so, the VAR takes account of the diversity of (local) security issues in the region. The VAR supports the municipalities within the Rotterdam Regional Unit with regard to a variety of themes, including that of Social Discontent (polarisation, radicalisation and extremism, online incited disorder and state threats).

Among other things, the VAR is committed to strengthening regional cooperation on the theme of radicalisation and extremism and securing the approach, continuing to develop the local approach in response to new trends and developments, coordinating the application of reinforcement funds, developing guides and fact sheets and supporting regional municipalities using tailor-made solutions.

4. Regional coordinator / advisor

Regional advisors who are specialised in radicalisation, extremism and terrorism operate in several regions, including the eastern and northern Netherlands. They connect different municipalities and all other partners involved in a region on this topic. They support municipalities, for example with the setting up of an identification structure and with completing the person-centred approach. They are also able to share ideas on preventive deployment. In addition, they fulfil a regional coordinating role in terms of allocating and organising ROR training courses and organising knowledge exchange among regional and local professionals. In various regions these regional advisors are financed using reinforcement funds and, due to the incidental nature of the reinforcement funds, it is recommended to release structural regional funding. Regional cooperation with the help of a regional coordinator works in regions where the local approach is still being built up, as well as in regions where a boost can be given to regional cooperation.

Legislation

Data sharing principles and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

An effective local approach – specifically in the person-centred approach phase – requires information and data sharing which must always be subject to principles of proportionality and subsidiarity. This means that the use of a particular power must be justified for its intended purpose. This goal should not be achievable by less far-reaching means. In addition, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) must always be taken into account when performing tasks.

The NCTV recommends that close contact be maintained with the municipality's privacy officer when deploying and implementing local approach activities. It is very important to report properly on, and provide sound arguments for, the method of working. This will ensure that activities are carried out within the right legal frameworks, are traceable and can be more easily accounted for.

Information sharing It is essential that relevant chain partners share information in order to take the necessary measures on the basis of the most complete picture possible. Practical experience has shown that relevant information from the different domains (care, security and social) cannot be shared in all instances. Previous cases have also retrospectively revealed that, although there were indicators among various partners, they were not brought into a broader context in good time. This may be down to a variety of reasons, for instance legal restrictions on information sharing, or because parties are unaware of each other's options in terms of intervention. The following are suggestions on how to share information in the case consultation context: In practice, professionals are more likely to share relevant information when they know the other professionals involved. It is therefore important to invest in mutual trust and make sure everyone knows who is participating, for example by organising a network meeting. Partners are more likely to share indicators when they are aware of each other's (legal) frameworks. It is therefore a good idea to make sure that everyone – and especially occasional partners – is aware of each other's (legal) frameworks and intervention options. Peer support, case evaluations and case simulations may help in this respect. In various municipalities a mental health professional occasionally joins the CTER case consultation if they have expertise that is essential in order to deal with the case. This helps when interpreting and following up on cases involving radicalisation and possible psychosocial issues. The bill addressing multiple problems in the social domain (Wams) provides a basis for municipalities to achieve a coordinated approach for individuals or families with multiple problems in the social domain. This basis facilitates the exchange of data between municipal services within the social domain (including care, youth assistance, social assistance and social support) and external parties (e.g. the police and care and educational institutions). The information sharing method in the event of possible radicalisation in the youth domain of the Social Stability Expertise Unit (ESS).

The bill on data processing in the context of the person-centred approach to radicalisation and extremism

The PGA Act strengthens the legal basis for local government efforts to prevent and combat radicalisation and terrorist activities. In particular this concerns a legal task and a legal option for the mayor, namely the organisation of case consultations to discuss the approach to people who are radicalising or are already radicalised. The effect of the bill is that there needs to be a structure for (case) consultation whenever indicators of radicalisation arise. Following on from this, the bill provides clear principles for data sharing by the parties participating in the case consultations referred to. 

Counterterrorism and National Security Coordination Act

In specific cases the NCTV's local advisor can be involved in the local case consultation in order to advise on policy measures and improvements to the local approach. Local advisors may be involved on the basis of the Counterterrorism and National Security Coordination Act. The local advisors may contribute as occasional partners for the purpose of enhancing chain cooperation, policy support and advice on administrative measures.

Funding: Reinforcement funds

Every year, the central government provides impulse funds for the local integrated approach to radicalisation, extremism and terrorism via the reinforcement funds. Due to the non-structural nature of these reinforcement funds, it is advisable to set aside separate municipal or regional funds for the local approach.

Municipalities are invited every year to apply for reinforcement funds from the NCTV and, once allocated, they can use them, for example, to build identification structures and (regional) partnerships, carry out (or commission) regional threat analyses, or deploy targeted preventive projects. The municipality can also apply for a training budget that can be used at the National Training Institute Against Radicalisation (ROR). For questions about the reinforcement funds, please contact the NCTV.

Administrative support

Public administrators play an important role in connecting with residents and may come into contact with people who, based on extremist views, express dissatisfaction or concerns about, for example, fellow residents or government policy. It is therefore important to inform them about the various manifestations of extremism so that they can respond appropriately. In addition, knowledge about the phenomena creates a greater sense of urgency and support within the municipality as regards fulfilling the municipal role on this theme and guaranteeing available capacity. A phenomenon analysis – as was performed in the northern Netherlands – shows what is going on in the region and helps create a sense of urgency.

Because the local approach requires integrated cooperation, it is also important to build support among local councillors within their own municipality and the region as a whole. Positioning radicalisation as a broader theme than just within the security context, and regularly highlighting activities and developments in this area, helps to create a broader sense of ownership.

It may be useful in this context to seek support from the NCTV's local advisor in putting the issue on the agenda and addressing it at administrative level.

Safety of own staff

The local approach policy must also focus on the safety of local staff. It has become clear in recent years that local professionals can also fall victim to doxing, intimidation and threats. It is therefore important that staff know how to protect their personal data when they come into contact with potentially radicalised individuals. For example, the municipality of The Hague has established a safety protocol for its staff. Examples include a general mailbox, not including any personal details of civil servants in public documents and letters, and using employer details in official documents such as a tax return.

Online

Radicalisation, extremism and terrorism are increasingly manifesting themselves online and, consequently, the online world is an essential element of the local approach. The options in the offline world when it comes to identifying, assessing and intervening cannot currently be used in the same way in the online world. Having said that, many questions still need to be answered regarding how this should be implemented and what authorities exist.

In 2023, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and the Ministry of Justice and Security published the guide entitled 'Online research by municipalities’ (Online onderzoek door gemeenten). This clarifies what is and is not legally possible in terms of conducting online research and how municipalities can implement and record the method of working which applies to online research. In May 2024, the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG) together with the Safe Noord Holland (Noord Holland Veilig) organisation published a protocol on online research when protecting or restoring public order and safety.

This guide and protocol do not include any details on how to structure the online part of the local approach to countering radicalisation, extremism and terrorism. Instead, work on this has been carried out, for example by the NCTV, using the Intensive Online Strategy (Versterkte Aanpak Online, VAO).

In addition, several chain partners are already currently working on the local approach in the online domain:

• The police play an important role in identifying online radicalisation, using their own legal duty and powers such as detection.
• Preventive interventions are used which are aimed at increasing media literacy and resilience against extremist online content.
• Teaching programmes are available to help young people be more resilient to online radicalisation and to learn how to recognise manipulative processes, such as recruitment.
• Initiatives are being taken at local level to encourage the development of knowledge, such as the Utrecht online coalition and the Living Lab in the Northern Netherlands regional partnership.
• Online youth workers who interact with young people via social media platforms.
• The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment supports (youth) professionals and municipalities in engaging and working in the online environment.
• The National Extremism Support Centre (LSE) has a low-threshold anonymous chat function for the public and professionals. This chat feature offers advice and possible courses of action on extremism and radicalisation.

Read more

• Knowledge and skills
• Network
• Intervention