Dutch Rail Operator NS Begins Training Security Staff to Carry Batons

Dutch national rail operator NS has begun training the first group of security personnel to carry batons, marking a significant shift in how the company approaches safety on trains and stations. The one-year trial involves 75 of the railway's 680 enforcement officers, known as BOAs (buitengewoon opsporingsambtenaren), who will start carrying the weapons during their shifts from late April.

The pilot programme covers BOAs based at four locations: Rotterdam, The Hague, Zwolle and Den Bosch. These staff members, who work in NS's Safety and Service (Veiligheid & Service) department, are recognisable by their bright yellow jackets or vests. They assist passengers with questions about their journeys but also respond to calls for help from colleagues and conduct security checks at locations where trouble is expected.

Training covers when and how the baton may legally be used, with emphasis on proportional and safe application. After completing the course over the coming weeks, the first officers will begin carrying the short baton during their regular duties. An external research bureau will accompany and evaluate the trial throughout its duration.

The trial responds to what NS describes as a sustained increase in violence against its personnel. In 2025, the company recorded 1,132 incidents of aggression against staff, up from 1,095 the previous year. While that represents a modest overall increase, the figures mask a concerning shift: aggression against Safety and Service personnel specifically rose by 11 percent, even as incidents involving conductors and drivers fell by 9 percent.

The explanation lies in how NS deploys its security staff. BOAs are sent to trouble spots based on data and specific intelligence, often taking over difficult situations from train conductors. This targeted deployment means they increasingly bear the brunt of confrontations.

The number of personnel sustaining injuries dropped 10 percent year-on-year in 2025 (from 338 to 304 cases), though the longer-term trend remains troubling. In 2024, injuries had surged 34 percent compared to 2023, with Safety and Service staff accounting for the majority of those hurt.

Itai Birger, NS's director of social safety, has described the situation in stark terms. "Although NS has until now been reluctant to deploy a baton, we want to investigate whether this tool can contribute to better safety," he said when the trial was announced. "Yet I say this with reluctance. It is confronting that we as a train company are now forced to also investigate the baton."

NS enforcement officers are not ordinary ticket inspectors. As certified BOAs, they already hold significant powers: they may use force in certain situations, arrest suspects, verify identities, draw up official reports and issue fines. Their current equipment includes body cameras, safety vests, protective gloves and handcuffs.

The baton represents an addition to this toolkit rather than a transformation of their role. Conductors, who check tickets and assist passengers during journeys, will not receive batons.

The baton trial forms part of a broader package of safety measures. Conductors will receive body cameras later this year. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management has allocated €20 million for a joint action plan with ProRail and transport operators to improve station safety. NS is also conducting targeted security operations and running entrance controls at various stations.

Beyond equipment, NS has long lobbied for expanded legal powers for its BOAs. Currently, when security staff need to verify a suspect's identity, they must wait for police to access national databases. NS wants its officers to have direct access to the driving licence register, criminal justice database and foreign nationals register to conduct identity checks independently. The coalition agreement of the new cabinet, sworn in this week, commits to pursuing this change.

Not everyone welcomes the development. Passenger association Rover has expressed understanding for the trial but fears batons could prove counterproductive. Director Freek Bos worries that visibly armed personnel might escalate rather than defuse confrontations.

"Small measures like better lighting at stations and longer opening hours at kiosks can contribute" to safety, Bos has argued. "There must be a good balance between service and security." He suggests the best social control comes not from armed supervision but from having enough other passengers around, meaning NS should focus on making trains attractive and affordable to boost ridership.

Some NS staff themselves remain divided. When the trial was first proposed, some employees said they did not join the railway to carry weapons and feared the baton might provoke rather than prevent aggression.

Regional transport operators including Arriva have indicated they will watch the trial closely. Arriva already equips its enforcement officers with handcuffs and body cameras following trials in 2022 and 2023, and will consider adding batons depending on NS's findings.

The discussion about equipping transport BOAs with weapons is not new. As far back as 2015, the FNV Spoor union called for batons and pepper spray following multiple violent incidents. What has changed is the scale of the problem and the willingness of authorities to approve trials.

A separate pilot is also underway to bring back dedicated railway police on the Emmen-Zwolle line, following a parliamentary motion. The idea of reviving the spoorwegpolitie, disbanded decades ago, has gained support from both ProRail and various political parties.

For now, the 75 officers in Rotterdam, The Hague, Zwolle and Den Bosch will serve as test cases for whether visible deterrence can help restore what some politicians have called a "crisis of authority" on Dutch railways.