The travelling public should be alert and aware of their surroundings when using public transport, says the Chief Constable of British Transport Police (BTP). Paul Crowther said: “More than six million people travel on our railways every single day. For commuters, who make the same journey over and over again, it can be easy to become oblivious to their surroundings. But I would urge them to remain alert, use their instinct and have the confidence to report anything that strikes them as out-of-place or suspicious. Earlier this month a man was sentenced for terrorism offences after being caught in possession of information about how to make bombs. This was as a direct result of a rail passenger reporting suspicions to train staff. We need others to follow suit and play their part in keeping the UK’s transport systems safe from terrorists.
“If we can utilise the eyes and the ears of the public in our surveillance of the transport system, combined with our already substantial CCTV coverage, we stand every chance of detecting and stopping attacks.”
Protecting transport systems from terrorism remains a top priority for police and other agencies and Chief Constable Crowther believes that we have learnt lessons. He added: “We should be proud of the fact that we have a largely open and accessible transport network in this country. However this means the police and public must work together to ensure it remains as secure and safe as possible.”
BTP have dedicated units across the UK, monitoring stations and trains every hour of every day. They include units with specialist equipment to quickly assess the threat of suspect packages, officers trained in identifying suspicious behaviour and highly trained police dogs. Police are able to respond to a wide range of terrorist situations, including chemical or biological threats. In London BTP now has firearms officers on regular patrols at key stations to reassure the public.
Assistant Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, Andy Ward spoke at Liverpool Docks about Operation Kraken, which encourages people who work along the UK coastline to report suspicious activity.
Another part of the UK’s counter-terrorism effort at transport hubs (pictured: Kings Cross mainline station), the authorities add, is to prevent people leaving the UK to join extremist groups, and potentially returning to carry out attacks or encourage others to take part in terrorism.
Several hundred people are believed to have travelled to Syria so far this year and police at ports and airports work closely with other agencies at our borders to stop travel for this purpose. This co-ordinated approach has led to an increase in the number of arrests and subsequent convictions at ports this year.
Chief Constable Crowther, echoing Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley’s plea for public assistance in combating terrorism, added: “Quite simply, the UK’s defence against terrorism is strengthened immeasurably when the police, other agencies and the public work together. If you have any concerns, follow the example of the brave passenger on the train and report it to the Anti-Terrorism Hotline.”
