Around one hundred NS inspectors and police officers participated in a major security check on Thursday. Travelers were checked at stations and on the trains. Purpose: to increase safety in the stations and trains. At the stations of Breda, Roosendaal, Tilburg, Eindhoven and Den Bosch, the yellow of the men and women with yellow vests who participated in the action saw.
Theo came from the national police and especially to Breda station to support NS staff in the safety campaign. He steps on the train to Vlissingen and meets everything. “Begants, people who travel black, travelers who argue and sex offenses, everything you normally encounter. We are there for the safety of travelers and the NS staff. If, for example, NS staff are threatened, we will grab.”
According to Theo, crime on the train is not a very big problem, but something that needs to be tackled. The problem on the train is that if you are threatened you cannot walk away, the policeman says. The most common problem are travelers who travel black and are disappointed that they are checked. That often expresses itself in aggression.
A major check, like this one, is held twice a year. On this Thursday it is not too bad with the violations. A confused man is standing at Breda station who has traveled black. In the station hall the inspectors discover a drunken man who is sleeping.
Menno is one of the people who leads control on behalf of the Dutch Railways: “The purpose of this promotion is to show that we are all standing for the safety of travelers and our employees. We try to limit nuisance by maintaining and being visible.” Black riders, hanging youngsters in and around the station and people without residential or residence at the station are the biggest problem according to Menno.
Train passengers are also checked during the promotion. Jeffrey is a safety employee of the Dutch Railways and checks with colleagues whether people on the train from Breda to Tilburg have a ticket. On Thursday afternoon there are only people who have paid neatly for their journey on the train.
Jeffrey now knows the excuses that people have if they don’t have a train ticket. “They say they are lost, or that they cannot find the admission ticket on their phone.” Usually the check is going well. But sometimes people become aggressive. In the most extreme case, it even comes to a struggle and arrest.
Among the travelers on the train is only understanding for control. “I think it’s fine,” says a man. He adds smiling that he is not a black traveler. He has never felt unsafe on the train, he says.
Also plenty of understanding for the campaign among travelers at Tilburg station. Great, say travelers. A young man only thinks it is good that strict checks are being made. “I once experienced that I was almost alone on the train with a drug addicted man. He screamed very loudly and that was pretty threatening.”
On this control day it also stays calm on the train and the NS inspectors only come across exemplary travelers.