Inferior security at ammunition depots put residents in the vicinity at risk for years.
By Matthijs van Houten / Translation by Traci White
Inspections of 13 ammunition depots in recent years found 89 security issues. Many depots are concentrated in Drenthe, including Pesse, Veenhuizen and Ruinen, among others. Veenhuizen has 214 ammunition warehouses and is the largest ammunition depot in Europe.
Several depots did not have warning signs posted and ammunition was not properly stored at depots in Pesse and ‘t Harde (in Gelderland).
RTV Drenthe reports that inspectors halted operations at depots in Veenhuizen, Staphorst and Ruinen due to imminent threats to the safety of the personnel. Inspectors reported that the security issues at all of the depots were quickly fixed after being identified.
The inferior security issues were described in documents from the defence ministry which de Volkskrant accessed through a Freedom of Information request.
