Fire stations are struggling with a wave of break-ins as criminal gangs target hydraulic equipment that can be used to smash cashpoints and roller shutters.
In the last month alone police have recorded 25 attacks on fire stations, compared to 35 in the two years 2024 and 2025, according to figures shared with TV real crime show Opsporing Verzocht.
So far this year there have been 85 break-ins, most recently on Monday night at Maarn-Maarsbergen in Utrecht province. Police said hydraulic tools such as spreaders were increasingly being found at the scene of ram-raids on retailers such as such as jewellers and electronics stores.
“A hydraulic spreader, for example, is intended for things like freeing people from car wrecks, but now they’re being used to destroy roller shutters and cash machines,” a spokesman said.
The thefts are also leaving fire stations short of vital equipment needed to save lives. But managers are reluctant to take extra safety measures such as locking tools away because it takes longer to retrieve them in an emergency, when every second counts.
The service told NOS it was considering stepping up less intrusive measures such as installing CCTV cameras and reflective glass to hide the contents of fire stations.
