Dutch police estimate that since border controls were scrapped 15 years ago in so-called Schengen countries of Europe, more than 340,000 blank passports have been stolen from government buildings and diplomatic posts.

According to Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad, the documents are highly prozed by people traffickers, terrorists and criminals. A blank passport can fetch up to around 11,000 euros on the black market.

Under the Schengen Agreement, signed in 1985 and incorporated into mainstream Eurpean law in 1997, 25 European countries opted to lift border controls with each other.

The figures on passport theft were compiled by the Dutch police based on figures from the Schengen Information Service.

Photo: Passport - Flickr/nonny