NS security staff to be armed with batons amid rising violence on Dutch trains
By Simone Jacobs
Dutch rail company NS has launched a pilot scheme that will see security staff equipped with batons. The move comes after NS staff have seen a rise in violence on trains in the Netherlands.
NS staff to be trained to use batons
From February 23, the first employees in the safety and service department at NS will be trained to use a short baton. NS first announced these plans in 2025 and received permission from the Ministry of Justice and Security.
75 of the 680 special investigating officers (BOAs) are participating in the one-year trial taking place at train stations in Rotterdam, The Hague, Zwolle and Den Bosch. In the coming weeks, these workers will be trained on how to use the baton. "It is, of course, very important that this is always done proportionately," director of NS social security Itai Birger told NOS.
After training is complete, enforcement officers are expected to start carrying batons from the end of April 2026. BOAs are already authorised to use force when necessary, while fulfilling their duties and are equipped with safety vests, handcuffs and body cams.
Rising aggression against NS train workers
Enforcement officers are responsible for ensuring the safety not only of train passengers but also of fellow NS employees. The Dutch rail company is using the pilot scheme to see whether carrying and using a baton will contribute to the “effectiveness and safety of their work”.
Reports of aggression and physical violence towards NS staff have been a problem for years. In 2024, 1.095 incidents were reported. This increased to 1.132 last year, according to NS figures.
BOAs were the most affected, with 11 percent more incidents reported in 2025 compared to the year before, while aggressive incidents against other NS staff, such as conductors, actually decreased by 9 percent. This is most likely because enforcement officers respond to requests for assistance on trains and at stations, and conduct safety checks in high-risk areas.
Last year, Birger said that NS security staff are more often having to perform riskier duties similar to those of the Dutch police. “We're noticing that the police are facing shortages and are less frequently present at the station. As a result, our colleagues are on their own more often and for longer periods. So we're curious to see if the baton will help them in that regard."
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Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working as a writer and editor since 2022. One thing she loves more than creating content is consuming it, mainly by reading books by the dozen. Other than being a book dragon, she is also a nature lover and enjoys hiking and animal training.Read more