Fire station break-ins soar as criminals steal rescue gear

Break-ins at Dutch fire stations, which have risen sharply this year, are threatening life-saving work, the police have said. Criminal gangs are stealing the cutting equipment crews use to free people trapped in crashed cars, which they can be used for robberies.

There were 17 break-ins or attempted break-ins at fire stations in 2024 and 18 in 2025, broadcaster NOS reported. So far this year there have been 50. Stations in Maassluis, Aalsmeer and Ten Boer were all targeted in the past week.

The police, the fire service and the public prosecution department have begun working together nationally to stop the thefts. “One way or another, we are going to put a stop to this,” Jos van der Stap of the national police told NOS.

Police believe experienced criminals have discovered a market for the specialist tools. Van der Stap said they are being used in raids on jewellers and, abroad, to break open cash machines, and have turned up in several places across Europe.

Steven van der Looij of Brandweer Nederland, the national fire service organisation, said staff who work day and night at stations find it terrible thatpeople are coming into the buildings. Both quiet rural stations and busy city ones staffed around the clock have been hit.

Locking the equipment away is not straightforward. Everything on a fire engine is laid out so it can be grabbed at speed, Van der Looij said, and every extra lock has to be undone again. “Every second counts.”

Security cameras are being installed at some stations and windows are being replaced with mirrored glass.