Dealing with public service workers

"Ambulance staff threatened", "bus driver robbed": over the past few months assaults on public service workers were frequently reported in the media. The House of Representatives asked the Cabinet to take action to reduce the number of incidents. Ms Guusje ter Horst, Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, sent a letter to the House in which she wrote that it is still unclear whether the number of violence incidents has actually increased. The figures are being examined this month.

'Safe public duty'
In October 2007 the Cabinet introduced the so-called ‘Safe public duty programme’. Its aim is to reduce the number of cases of aggression and violence against public service workers by 15% in 2011 as compared to 2007. To this end, AbvaKabo FNV, a Dutch trade union, launched a campaign under the motto ‘I will report aggression and violence’ in March 2009. A telephone hotline was set up for public service workers to report their experiences anonymously.

Public transport official
Besides, the public transport sector had research carried out on methods to improve security in public transport. As a result, a public transport official was appointed, on a temporary basis, within the police force. He is responsible for setting up an adequate incident registration system. The aim is to get a better insight into the nature and scale of the problem, in order to provide tailor-made solutions.

Cooperation
A national approach is needed, with public transport companies, the police force and other stakeholders working closely together. Ms Ter Horst is of the opinion that employers should also assume responsibility for their employees' security. They should report incidents and offences and recover the damage from the offender. It is the public transport official's task to take care of good communication between the various stakeholders.