With the current crowds at Schiphol, the security lanes at Schiphol are waiting for accidents, say security officers. Especially at peak times, emotions sometimes run so high that staff fear that things will get out of hand and cause ‘serious injuries or worse’.
They have said this to the trade union CNV, which is now arguing for deploying the military police more often ‘to act and de-escalate if necessary’. “We are receiving worrying signals,” said Erik Maas of CNV Vakmensen.
One of the biggest peak times is in the evening around 8 p.m., when some of the so-called security lanes close. “Passengers then see the security guards leave, are afraid that they will miss their flight and then quickly become heated,” the union writes.
‘Threatening, kicking and hitting’
To emphasize the seriousness of the situation, the union quotes some security officers. “Passengers sometimes queue for hours, and when they finally get to the front, we close the lane,” said a security guard. “Then some people start yelling, whistling, whooping, threatening and kicking and hitting the windows.”
Another calls the crowds ‘worrying’. “The huge groups of people who push in front, sometimes even fight with each other. There is absolutely no control or regulation on those groups. If one person goes crazy, goes crazy and starts running and pushing, it can get hugely out of hand. “
Ramming on shutters
The day before yesterday, the military police had to take action when an angry crowd wanted to storm the security control. Passengers were so displeased that security guards were closing the security lanes that some started slamming the shutters in protest.
Security guards came to the rescue of a colleague and a passenger after the two passed out in the crowd. Director Adan Morik of security company CNTV described the situation in an email to his staff as ‘very dangerous’, partly because there was a risk that people would walk unchecked to the secure area of Schiphol.
The FNV union is calling for ‘a few quick measures’, including scheduling more security guards in the evenings. “At the critical moments […] the Marechaussee must be ready to act and de-escalate if necessary.”
Boomerang
The chaos that the airport has been confronted with since the start of the May holiday is the result of the staff shortage, CNV also emphasizes. “For years it was a race to the bottom, in which security companies were played off against each other. The boomerang is now returning to Schiphol and that hurts.”
Today, the unions will discuss employment conditions at the airport with Schiphol.