by Annika Backe
February 25, 2016 – Resisting the ever-present temptation proved impossible for staff members working at a Dutch printing company. Over the period of two years, they stole a “substantial amount” of 50 euro banknotes, according to Dutch crime blog Crimesite.nl.
Their employer is Royal Joh. Enschedé, established in 1703 and headquartered in Haarlem, North Holland. Accredited by the European Central Bank, it ranks among the global leaders in the production of tax stamps, visa stickers, permits, diplomas, and banknotes. The German Bundesbank is only one of the customers of this company that refers to itself on its website as “the specialist for special, secure, and highly trustworthy print work and related services”.
Although a complex CCTV camera system was apparently monitoring the production of notes, nobody seemed to have noticed something strange going on, leaving the employees, whose identity has not been established yet, undetected. They siphoned off 50 euro banknotes, including fully printed bills and without serial numbers.
Since the police and the public prosecutors are withholding information in view of ongoing investigations, it has not been revealed how exactly the theft was finally uncovered. The financial damage is being appraised. The damage to the company’s image, on the other hand, is very likely to be substantial.
Here you may read the relevant entry at Crimesite.nl.
This is the website of Royal Joh. Enschedé.
And here you can read more about employees of the Bank of England who stole 600,000 English pounds worth of notes that were intended to be destroyed.