The large profits made in the Dutch drugs trade are being invested in property, cafes and bars and ‘spy shops’ all over Amsterdam, police chief Pieter Jaap Aalbersberg says in an interview with the NRC on Friday.

Despite efforts to reduce the impact of drugs money, for example by introducing more background checks on cafe licence holders and reducing the size of the red light district, ‘they have to put their money somewhere’, Aalbersberg said.

Money is being spread around the city, not just in the centre but in the De Clerqstraat in West, the Javastraat in Oost and the Van Woustraat in Zuid, the police chief told the paper.

Gangs are no longer strictly hierarchical but have become networks, some of which are organised along ethnic lines, he said, singling out Albanian gangs for special mention. ‘There is no mafia-like loyalty any more,’ he said.

Although Amsterdam’s crime figures are in decline, police are having to pull out all the stops to make sure there is no increase this year. In particular, the surge in visitors to the Dutch capital is putting a tremendous strain on police resources, he said.

Several weeks ago, Aalbersberg said the city needs an extra 500 police officers to keep the city safe.