J. (Jelle) Janssen

About Jelle

Dr Jelle Janssens is an Associate Professor of Criminology at Ghent University, affiliated with the Department of Criminology, Criminal Law and Social Law, and the Institute for International Research on Criminal Policy (IRCP). He obtained his master’s degrees in Criminology and Public Management at Ghent University and earned his PhD in 2013 with research on multi-level security in post-conflict areas.

As a lecturer at Ghent University, he teaches courses such as Organised Crime, Financial and Economic Crime, Criminal Justice Management, and Victimology. His expertise covers corruption, organised crime, criminal networks, social dumping, human trafficking, radicalisation, and policing policy.

Janssens is (co-)supervisor of several international research projects funded by the European Commission (ISF, Horizon 2020) on cybercrime, mobile criminal networks, corruption in ports, and high-risk criminal networks. In Belgium, he has led studies on cocaine trafficking through the port of Antwerp, crime in real estate and the beauty sector, and the infiltration of organised crime into legitimate businesses.

He regularly acts as an expert advisor to governments. His contributions include work on the Belgian National Security Plan, the EU’s administrative approach to organised crime, and evaluations of Belgian police services for the Ministry of the Interior. He is a member of the Scientific Council of both the Social Intelligence and Investigation Service (SIOD) and the Belgian civilian intelligence service (VSSE).

With his combination of academic depth, applied research, and policy advisory work, Janssens is regarded as a key figure in Belgium’s security domain.