Rotterdam secures new funding to tackle youth crime

ROTTERDAM, 1 April 2026 – Rotterdam will receive €9.4 million a year from the Ministry of Justice and Security between 2026 and 2029 to continue its approach to youth crime. The funding will support efforts to stop young people from entering criminal networks and to intervene earlier when criminal careers begin to take shape.

The money will go towards Prevention with Authority (Preventie met Gezag), a programme that started in 2023 in Charlois, Delfshaven, Feijenoord and IJsselmonde. With this new funding round, the city is extending that work for another four years.

Rotterdam’s focus is not just on punishment, but on prevention and early intervention. The aim is to reach young people before criminal activity hardens into something more serious, especially in neighbourhoods where poverty, debt and school dropout are already putting pressure on daily life.

More support in vulnerable neighbourhoods

According to the city, the overall crime picture has improved over the past two decades, but young people are still relatively often drawn into organised crime that disrupts wider society. In some neighbourhoods, the lifetime risk of a young person becoming involved in crime is estimated at one in nine.

That gives a clearer sense of why the city is concentrating on areas where social and economic pressures are already high. The idea behind Prevention with Authority is that these young people should also have a real chance at a safe future with room to develop their talents and ambitions.

A programme built on tailored help

Three years into the programme, Rotterdam says it has already managed to give more young people the support they need. Much of that support is individual and tailored, rather than generic.

Examples include the Person-Based Approach (Persoonsgerichte Aanpak), often shortened to PGA, as well as tailored handling in criminal cases. The programme also works with professionals who stay close to young people in practice, including coaches and buddies, while young people with lived experience are also involved as peer experts.

Prevention goes beyond criminal justice

The wider prevention side is also a major part of the approach. That includes information sessions, parent training and resilience training designed to strengthen young people before they become entangled in criminal structures.

Alderman Faouzi Achbar, responsible for wellbeing, social cohesion, sport and digital inclusion, said: “Together with various partners, we are working on a city where all young people can grow up safely. In the coming years too, we will continue working towards a Rotterdam without crime, where young people can develop their talents and pursue their dreams.”

Rotterdam keeps working with partners

The programme brings together a long list of care and justice partners, including the police, the Public Prosecution Service, Rotterdam District Court, 3RO, youth work organisations, HALT, the National Programme Rotterdam South, certified institutions and the Child Care and Protection Board.

For Rotterdam, this continuation is meant to do two things at once: reduce the risk of young people ending up in crime, and offer a more credible alternative in neighbourhoods where that risk remains stubbornly present.