A new team of British Transport Police (BTP) officers dedicated to the c2c route has begun operations to improve safety and provide a more visible security presence for local rail passengers.
The sergeant and three constables will be working across the route to help reduce crime and reassure passengers. They will combine regular patrols on trains and at key stations with special operations targeted at hotspot areas.
The latest statistics show that overall crime fell 3pc on the trainoperator’s routes last year, while the number of crimes detected increased by more than 15pc. c2c’s revenue protection team have also caught more fare dodgers so far in 2015 than at this stage for any of the past five years, the company adds.
Superintendent Gillian Murray of BTP said: “The team of officers are looking forward to their new role focused on the c2c route, helping local rail passengers to feel safe and to keep them secure when they’re using trains and at stations.”
And Iain Palmer, c2c’s Head of Security, said: “It’s really important that our passengers feel safe when they’re using c2c. That’s why we’ve introduced these officers, and they will be supported by our own roving security teams. From later this year we will also have staff in every station from before the first train until after the last service has departed, so c2c passengers will always have someone they can approach if they need help.”
