Performance indicator | Realisation in 2019 | Realisation in 2018 | Minimum value for 2019 | Target value for 2020 |
Customer satisfaction with personal safety on the train and at the station | 90% | 90% | 81% | 83% |
In 2019, customers’ perception of safety at the stations and in trains remained stable, with 90% of passengers giving a score of 7 out of 10 or higher. We took various measures over the past year that should help us maintain and if possible further improve personal safety. For example, we installed cameras and deployed Safety & Service staff and private security guards at stations where passengers feel unsafe and where crime and nuisance are a reality. We also made safety agreements with partners, launched a programme to combat graffiti on trains and at stations and worked on counterterrorism measures.
Check-in and check-out gates
The number of stations using check-in and check-out gates has increased every year since their launch in 2014; today, the gates are in use at 76 stations. Last year, a study conducted by NS in collaboration with Statistics Netherlands revealed that the number of fare dodgers, in absolute figures, has fallen since the gates were taken into operation. The number of incidents on trains involving aggression has also decreased. The use of check-in and check-out gates may also explain, at least in part, the 9% fall in crime rates in the immediate vicinity of our stations.
Incidents involving aggression
Incidents involving aggression have a considerable impact on the lives of the people who witness them. NS encourages staff to report all such incidents. Within NS as a whole, 678 incidents of category A aggression against staff were reported in the past year – 15% less than in 2018 (802 incidents). Many of the category A incidents involved some form of threat (268), and physical violence was recorded in 163 incidents. There were also cases of aggressive resistance (149), spitting (76), threatening with a weapon (17) and indecent assault (5). Of our uniformed staff, 745 were involved in some form of physical aggression (2018: 753).
The number of category A incidents involving aggression on the train has remained practically unchanged: 242 in 2019 compared with 243 in 2018. The number of incidents in this category at the stations has fallen by 22% (430 in 2019 compared with 553 in 2018). Incidents are easier to control at stations. Support from Safety & Service, the police and/or emergency services can arrive on site sooner than on a moving train.
There were 168 injuries as a result of aggression against staff in 2019 (2018: 206). These were mostly minor injuries (90%). In 153 cases, this involved uniformed staff (2018: 193 cases), of whom 70 were Safety & Service staff.