Child abductions through Schiphol on the rise

The number of children that are kidnapped by one of their parents and taken abroad via Schiphol international airport is increasing, the Royal Marechaussee have reported.

The elite armed unit said today that its agents arrested eleven suspects of child abduction so far in 2014; that is just as many as the entire number of arrests for similar cases in 2013. A Marechaussee spokesperson said that officers have turned to paying more attention to every parent who travels abroad with their children. “And if we think that it’s suspicious the parent is taken into custody.” It is not clear why there has been an increase in arrests. “It does cause us to be concerned. Every abduction is one too many.” The Marechaussee recommends that parents traveling with alone their children carry a permission from the other parent, to prevent hold-ups at border crossings.