SCHIPHOL, 26/06/03 - The Military Police yesterday opened their National Documentation Bureau (NBD) at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. Government services at home and abroad, and companies, can have identity documents assessed for genuineness there.

The center also offers training at home and abroad in document recognition. Airlines, embassies, immigration services and police organizations are already availing of these courses, said a spokesman. In addition, the NBD carries out criminal investigations if it turns out that passengers are using counterfeit or falsified travel documents or they possess counterfeit money.

The NBD has been running on trial since the beginning of this year. Since January, it has checked 183 identity documents for government services, of which 153 turned out falsified. Employers, such as temporary employment bureaus, banks and agricultural and horticultural businesses gave the bureau 205 copies of documents to assess, of which 34 were invalid.

Companies are required to request a copy of an identity paper from employees. Unlike the case of government services, the NBD may not in the case of these copies investigate whether the owner is known to the police.