New aggression figures fuel calls for more enforcement officers on trains
Railway union VVMC says reports to NS are rising sharply this year; D66 calls on the government to take action.
Railway union VVMC has again warned of rising aggression towards staff on trains and at stations. D66 has asked the State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management to assess the figures and explain how safety can be improved structurally.
According to an urgent letter from VVMC, NS recorded 5,088 reports of aggression and violence in the first three quarters of 2026. Of these, 1,561 reports allegedly concerned threats, 1,368 physical violence and 105 threats involving a weapon. The figures appear in written questions put by D66 MP Dion Huidekooper to State Secretary A.W.H. Bertram on 29 September.
The figures come from the union’s letter and do not yet constitute government-published annual statistics. The questions also mention several serious incidents highlighted by VVMC, including assaults on senior conductors and an incident in which a Veiligheid & Service employee was injured. The public documents contain no complete investigative data on those individual cases.
NS itself reported 1,132 incidents of aggression against employees in 2025, compared with 1,095 in 2024. According to its annual report, the number of incidents therefore rose by 3.4 per cent. The number of recorded injury cases fell slightly, but a larger share of that group involved Veiligheid & Service employees.
The railway operator has taken various measures in recent years. NS deployed additional safety staff at high-risk stations and on high-risk routes and began a trial in 2026 allowing 75 Veiligheid & Service employees to carry a short truncheon. NS also says that all senior conductors will receive a bodycam in 2026.
VVMC is calling for more fully authorised enforcement officers and better cooperation between the operator, police and prosecution service. The union is also seeking clarity about the powers of public-transport enforcement officers. In June, VVMC already campaigned against aggression on the railways and called on politicians to adopt a structural approach.
Among other things, Huidekooper is asking the State Secretary how the figures should be interpreted, which measures are being considered and how previous agreements on cooperation between operators and police are being implemented. The access of public-transport enforcement officers to certain government registers is also being raised.
When the parliamentary questions were published, no government answer was yet public. It is therefore still unclear whether the government endorses VVMC’s figures, what additional deployment is being considered and whether more enforcement officers demonstrably lead to less aggression. It is clear, however, that social safety on the railways has long been the subject of parliamentary debate and measures.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- VVMC says the number of reports of aggression at NS has risen sharply in 2026.
- NS also reported an increase in incidents of aggression against staff in 2025.
- Measures such as bodycams, additional safety staff and a trial involving short truncheons are already under way.
- The government has not yet publicly responded to the new parliamentary questions.
Left
Arguments Invest primarily in sufficient staff, training and de-escalation, and avoid increasingly arming enforcement officers without improving their working conditions.
Values Collective responsibility, protection of employees and restraint in the use of force.
Consequences Higher structural costs and potentially less emphasis on rapid enforcement, but also greater attention to prevention and aftercare.
Centre
Arguments Combine additional, well-trained enforcement officers with bodycams, clear powers, cooperation with the police and independent evaluation of measures.
Values Proportionality, practicality, legal certainty and protection for both passengers and staff.
Consequences A gradual approach can build support and produce evidence, but it will not immediately solve the acute staff shortage.
Right
Arguments Restore visible authority on trains and at stations with more enforcement officers, broader powers and a consistent criminal-justice response to violence against staff.
Values Public order, responsibility and protection for people performing a public duty.
Consequences Greater deterrence and faster intervention may be possible, but expanding powers requires strict oversight of privacy and proportionality.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The main facts are based on official parliamentary questions, NS publications and public parliamentary documents. The current incident figures are carefully presented as VVMC figures, rather than as independently established government statistics.
- confirmed D66 submitted written questions on 29 September 2026 about aggression against railway staff. — This is stated on the official Tweede Kamer page. source
- confirmed VVMC cites 5,088 reports of aggression and violence in the first three quarters of 2026. — The parliamentary questions quote this figure from VVMC’s urgent letter; independent confirmation is lacking. source
- confirmed NS reported 1,132 incidents of aggression in 2025 and 1,095 in 2024. — These figures appear in NS’s 2025 annual report. source
- confirmed NS began a trial in 2026 involving a short truncheon for 75 Veiligheid & Service employees. — The Tweede Kamer describes the trial in its information about the round-table discussion. source
- confirmed NS says that all senior conductors will receive a bodycam in 2026. — This appears on NS’s current safety page. source
- confirmed At the time of publication, no government answer to the parliamentary questions had been made public. — The official Tweede Kamer page lists the submitted questions, without a published answer. source
Editor's note
It is certain that VVMC sent an urgent letter and that D66 submitted parliamentary questions about it on 29 September. The current figure of 5,088 reports comes from the union’s letter and has not yet been independently confirmed; no government answer has been published.Sources
- De toenemende agressie en het geweld tegen spoorwegpersoneel — Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal
- Veilig reizen en werken — NS Jaarverslag 2025
- Veilig reizen met NS — Nederlandse Spoorwegen
- Rondetafelgesprek over veilig reizen in het openbaar vervoer — Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal
- Spoorvakbond houdt actie tegen toegenomen agressie — Treinreiziger.nl
More on this in Dutch media
- NOS — „spoor agressie”
- Het Parool — „spoor agressie”
- Trouw — „spoor agressie”