CRIME PREVENTION THAT WORKS: THE CARE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN THE NETHERLANDS

An experiment has been carried out in the Dutch public transport system to tackle fare-dodging, vandalism and aggression. On the tram and metro system the level of inspection has been increased by employing about 1200 young people. On buses the boarding procedure has been changed. The results show that the percentage of fare-dodgers fell after the introduction of the measures. The number of incidents decreased during the project; feelings of insecurity did not decrease. Damage experts, passengers and staff agree that the measures put a halt to trend for vandalism to increase. Given costs and benefits, the measures have made an important contribution to cutting petty crime on the public transport. This has improved the quality of public transport.(a)