Professional criminals and corrupt companies should face high fines as well as prison terms, the chief of the Dutch public prosecution service says in Monday’s Volkskrant.

In an interview, Marc van Nimwegen says his department wants tougher financial penalties and hopes that judges will agree to take a harder line. ‘Crime should not pay. In addition, we want to compensate victims financially as much as possible,’ Van Nimwegen says.

Spending time in jail is now seen as a calculated risk, he said. ‘We now live in a material, money-driven world… You only really hurt criminals when you take away their money.’