Increase in false diplomas: more control at the door of disco | Inland

“Normally we see two or three cases a year. Now we have detected fifteen cases of fraud in two months alone since the end of the lockdown,” says SVH director Ricardo Eshuis. “The police have also identified about a dozen cases of incorrectly issued security passes. At the door, officers determined that a number of doormen do not speak Dutch, even though they do have a pass. A catering porter is obliged to speak Dutch at a certain level.”

False diplomas and identity fraud

According to SVH, the two most common forms of fraud are forging diplomas and identity fraud. In the case of identity fraud, another person, often for a fee, has pretended to be an exam candidate with forged identification.

SVH fears that more fraud cases will come to light due to the major shortage of catering porters. There will be 223 exams for new doormen in the next six weeks. “Before the corona pandemic, there were twenty a month. The hospitality industry is desperate for staff. But that also means that people with bad intentions jump in on this,” Eshuis explains. “Not having the right papers can lead to unsafe situations, because these doormen do not have the right skills and, for example, handle aggression or recreational drug use in the wrong way.”

Eshuis warns that eventually the catering entrepreneur who hires the doorman through a company will be the victim. “He is responsible for safety in and around the company.” Entrepreneurs are asked to check with SVH whether the doormen meet the requirements.

Enjoy again

The Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (KHN) is concerned about the shortage of good, certified security officers. Now that it’s finally possible again, the agenda for festivities and events is well filled and guests are enjoying the catering industry again. This creates a greater demand for porters and security guards to ensure that everything runs smoothly,” a spokesperson said.

The KHN states that it is important for catering entrepreneurs that certificates are handled correctly and that they are therefore enforced. “We benefit from having certified porters at work, because this improves the safety of our guests. That is why it is in our interest that checks are carried out to detect fraud.”

The diploma register

The theme group Private Security Organizations and Investigation Agencies Act (WPBR) of the police, in consultation with SVH, calls on all police units to carry out more checks when issuing the security pass as well as at the door. A porter receives a pass if he or she is in possession of the SVH Horecaportier diploma. “The police or employer can check whether someone actually has this diploma via the SVH diploma register, in which all certified catering porters are listed,” says Eshuis.

In addition, the police will carry out retroactive checks on issued passes. “In this way we try to uncover any fraud cases and thus prevent abuses at the door. In the event of fraud, the permission and the security pass will be revoked immediately. In addition, SVH always reports forgery,” said a spokesperson for WPBR.

In addition, to prevent identity fraud during exams, recordings are made during the practical exams so that it can be traced back to who was there. Eshuis: “At SVH, we think it is a shame that this has to be done, but we really want to prevent catering entrepreneurs from falling victim to fraudulent doormen in collaboration with the police. Above all, we want safety for all guests on a night out.”

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