In response to the growing trend of Violence-as-a-Service (VaaS) and the recruitment of young people into serious organised crime, Europol launched a new Operational Taskforce named GRIMM at the end of April 2025. VaaS often involves young perpetrators who carry out threats, assaults, or killings for a fee, thereby reducing the risk to criminal networks and shielding them from law enforcement. These acts are often orchestrated remotely, with young people recruited and instructed online.

Led by Sweden, the new taskforce brings together law enforcement authorities from Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway, with Europol providing operational support, threat analysis, and coordination. The taskforce aims to coordinate intelligence sharing and joint investigations across borders, map the roles, recruitment methods, and monetisation strategies used by VaaS networks, and identify and dismantle the criminal service providers that enable such violence. Cooperation with tech companies is also a priority to detect and prevent recruitment on social media.

In addition, Europol has published a notification that breaks down the recruitment ecosystem, detailing the use of encrypted messaging apps, social media, lifestyle messaging, manipulation tactics, and gamification. The notification explains how criminal networks exploit minors, particularly through recruitment and task assignments via social media. It highlights the use of targeted language, coded messaging, and gamification strategies in this process.

Lastly, Europol has created an awareness guide for parents, which contains a list of warning signs.