NS deploys drones against graffiti on its trains

Dutch Railways (NS) has started using drones against graffiti on its trains.

The vandalism causes many millions of euros in damage, and NS reports fifteen cases to the police every day.

Sprayed carriages have to be taken out of service, so passengers end up travelling on shorter trains.

At a shunting yard near Eindhoven, where two vandals recently sprayed two large pieces on the side of a double-decker train, Sevgi Akseki, director of corporate security at NS, put a sticker over the tag of one of the makers. “For them it is art, but for us it is vandalism,” she said.

She added that paint on windows and doors also makes passengers feel unsafe inside the train.

Drones over the shunting yards

NS has dozens of shunting and parking yards.

Cameras, fences, motion sensors, radar, dogs and guards already protect them, but they still tempt graffiti artists, for whom sneaking in and tagging a train is a matter of prestige.

The drones watch these yards at night, when they are often deserted, and record footage when they spot suspects.

The drones can also shine a light, and security staff can speak to intruders through a speaker on the drone.

In Switzerland, graffiti incidents at the yards where drones were used dropped to zero.

NS expects the chance of catching vandals in the Netherlands to rise sharply, with more evidence to back up cases.

Stickers over the tags

NS is also putting tray-sized stickers over the artists’ tags.

They read “No graffiti!” and link to a video explaining the damage and why passengers end up on shorter trains.

The stickers do not cover whole pieces, and Akseki said they do not need to: they are a signal to both passengers and the people who spray the trains.

Trespassing already brings a fine of hundreds of euros, and vandalism by a group is a criminal offence that goes to court.

If someone is convicted, NS claims the damage, which can easily run to thousands of euros.

Linking several incidents to one person is difficult, though, because tags can be copied, so NS hopes the drones will help catch more vandals in the act.

Check out our guide to train travel from Amsterdam.

Source: De Telegraaf