After a vacation in Bonaire, Marianne (not her real name) comes home and unpacks her suitcase. Among her clothes, she feels something sharp. It turns out to be a knife. Not a kitchen knife, but a folding knife that was used to open her soap box. There is also a note from Customs in her suitcase: the luggage was inspected.

Marianne is shocked. What if she had been checked during the trip and the knife was found? How would she have explained that it was not hers? The discovery unsettles her. She still feels unsafe when she thinks back on it. She no longer dares to check a suitcase as hold luggage on her next trip.

Lack of explanation

Marianne contacts Customs and files a complaint. Customs asks questions to the employees on duty. They say they do not recognize or possess the knife. How the knife ended up in her suitcase remains unclear.
This lack of explanation bothers her. Not because she wants to accuse anyone, but because she wants to understand what happened. If Customs had said a mistake was made, that would have been enough for her. Now there is mainly uncertainty.

Marianne brings her story to the National Ombudsman. She tells how unsafe she felt and still feels because of what happened. We look into her complaint and ask additional questions to Customs. For example, whether it could be a service knife.

How did the knife get into the suitcase?

Customs states that this type of knife was issued to employees until about six months ago. It is mainly used for opening packages. It is possible that this knife was on the inspection table and accidentally ended up in Mariannes suitcase. They cannot say for sure, but it is not unlikely. If this is how it happened, it is a human error that, according to Customs, should not have been made. There was no intent of threat or ill will.

I find it strange that no one recognized the knife, while it apparently is still used. This gives the impression that the complaint was not seriously investigated initially. Governments should not only inspect but also actively investigate errors and dare to admit them. If they do not, they leave people alone. That is unacceptable, especially in such impactful incidents as this. Marianne was left with questions and fear unnecessarily long.

This column appeared in De Telegraaf on January 17, 2026. The person in the photo is not the person in the text.