Yesterday, police, enforcement officers and inspectors from NS, HTM and the municipality of The Hague were active during a check around Holland Spoor station. From arrests in the tram to fining fare dodgers and taxi drivers who drive without a permit, these and other violations were discovered during the action.
Holland Spoor station is the oldest station in The Hague and, unlike The Hague Central, is a transit station. Many travellers enter and leave the city every day at the station and in the area around the station. The safety and quality of life in this area are under pressure. For example, there is alcohol and drug nuisance, begging, bicycle and shoplifting and many people travel by tram or train without a valid ticket. With yesterday’s action at Holland Spoor station, the collaborating services want to contribute to the safety and quality of life around the station area.
Checking train and tram tickets
All trains that travel south go via Holland Spoor towards Rotterdam and from the station it is easy to travel to other parts of the city by tram. The NS took action at the station and on the trains and the police unit of The Hague supported the action around the station area. The police made 2 arrests for running away from a care institution and one person still had to provide DNA to the police in Rotterdam. A total of 1514 scans were carried out on tickets of train passengers. They caught a 27 passengers without a valid ticket. A fine was issued 4 times for not being able to show a valid ID and for following a passenger who had just checked in to get through the check-in gates. Two tickets were confiscated for travelling with someone else’s ticket. A confused passenger was picked up by the NS employees and handed over to the police in Delft, where he is being helped further. HTM inspectors checked a total of 71 passing trams. A fine was issued for fare dodging 119 times.
Bicycles removed and nuisance addressed
Around the station, there are bicycle parkings and taxi stands next to the tram stops. Municipal employees have removed 81 bicycles and labelled bicycles. The padlocks of several incorrectly parked bicycles have been sharpened and the bicycles transported to the bicycle depot.
The enforcement organisation ensures that the neighbourhoods in the city remain liveable. In total, enforcement officers have issued 13 fines, 11 of which were for illegal parking and 2 for driving on the pavement. 6 fines were issued for begging, drinking alcohol in public and 4 fines were issued for parking scooters outside the designated parking spaces. During the inspection of taxis, 4 taxi drivers were fined for, among other things, standing at the taxi rank without a permit and having an invalid pass to park at the taxi rank. In addition to enforcement, providing care for homeless people is important. For this reason, Barka and the Salvation Army walked extra rounds before and after the action to support people in need where possible.
Do you see anything suspicious? Reporting helps!
Reporting contributes to improving the quality of life and safety in public. The municipality and the police are increasingly receiving reports about suspicious and disruptive situations. That is very good. This allows for more targeted action.
- Via denhaag.nl/meldingen for reports about public space nuisance caused by waste, including bicycle wrecks or broken street lighting.
- Via safe travel with NS you can report nuisance or an unsafe situation on the train or at the station. Send a WhatsApp or text message to the telephone number 06 13 18 13 18 .
- You can report suspicious situations to the police by calling 112 (emergency) or 0900 – 8844. You can also do this anonymously via Meld Misdaad Anoniem , telephone number 0800 – 7000.
