Dutch police and justice ministry officials confiscated €143.5m from criminals last year, a rise of €7.5m on 2014. The money, mainly from the proceeds of the drugs trade, theft and fraud, goes to the treasury and is used to compensate the victims of crime.

The amount of money seized in crime investigations has gone up steadily over the past few years. In 2012 the total was just €50m.

‘Hardened criminals are calculating and see prison as a risk of the job,’ the public prosecution department said in a statement. ‘By confiscating their assets, they lose their status and their investment in new crimes.’

The department said efforts to seize more money in criminal investigations would continue to intensify, with money laundering coming under the spotlight in the coming years.