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Q Trains on track

by Mark Rowe

Dummy commuter trains carrying police officers have been hauled out of retirement to tackle vandals on Britain’s railways. The Q Trains will carry police officers who can leap out to tackle trespassers as part of an undercover operation to target crime hotspots on the rail network. Q Trains were first deployed in the 1980s. They look like normal service trains but are loaded with police who then tackle yobs and vandals.

Network Rail said they were rarely used now following a switch to response cars stationed by the tracks. But a summer-long purge dubbed Operation Intruder has seen the return of the dummy trains on route crime hotspots. British Transport Police say hundreds of children and young adults – up to 14 a day – risk their lives and those of rail passengers and staff every year by trespassing. As featured in the September print issue of Professional Security magazine, more than half are aged 14 and 25 and the lighter evenings saw a surge in crimes such as vandalism.

Between April and June, this year BTP recorded almost 2,400 trespass incidents, of which almost 1,300 involved people aged 25 or younger. Transport police have teamed up with other police forces and the rail industry, including the use of helicopters, to spot trouble-makers.

Chief Inspector Tom Naughton said: “Children and young adults need to understand the dangers of the railways. While taking trespassers through the courts remains open to BTP, the main focus of this campaign is prevention – stopping people getting on the track in the first place. Our officers have already visited a number of schools to warn children, face-to-face, of the dangers of straying onto the railway. We need parents to play their part, too – making children aware of how dangerous a place the railway can be.”

The op was launched in response to a number of serious incidents. In Warwickshire, a 16-year-old boy suffered serious burns at Rugby when he made contact with overhead power lines while playing with friends. A train near Ilkeston in Derbyshire hit a concrete block on the track. Police believe it was put there by a group of children seen nearby. Luckily, no-one was injured.

The movements of Q Trains are kept quiet by Network Rail. But they are known to have operated in Nottingham, second worst rail crime hotspot in the East Midlands after Derby. Across the East Midlands region, there were 41 incidents last year; and 33 this year. Easter last year in Nottingham saw five incidents, and four this year; two at Radford Junction (trespass), one at Mill Lane, and one in Beeston.

Local Network Rail Community Safety Manager Liz Reedy said: “We’ve seen a slight improvement but these are no grounds for complacency.”

Meanwhile British Transport Police (BTP) has reported notifiable crime (which makes up the more serious offences dealt with by BTP) fell by six per cent during 2013/14. BTP point to a reduction of 18 percent in recorded robberies, a 17 per cent drop in theft of passenger property and a 37 per cent fall in theft of cable from the railway.
Much of this the force says can be attributed to initiatives by BTP – often with rail companies and other partners.

BTP Chief Constable Paul Crowther said: “The initiatives and operations which have made such an impact during the past 12 months really highlight the advantage our specialist knowledge brings to the railway. By working with the rail companies and passengers, we are able to truly understand the challenges they face and devise innovative solutions to tackle those problems.”

In 2012 theft of passenger property was highlighted by both passengers and train operators as a growing concern, as thieves turned to trains and stations which offered supposed easy pickings. In response BTP launched Operation Magnum, an awareness campaign which drew on the knowledge and experience of rail officers and staff to advise passengers about the most common tactics used by thieves – as well as tips to avoid falling victim to those methods.

Crowther added: “We have led the way in combating theft and there can be little doubt that Operation Magnum, which was driven by online content and social media, has had the desired effect with almost 3,000 fewer people falling victim to this type of crime year-on-year.

“During 2013/14 we also continued to spearhead efforts to tackle metal and cable theft both on the railway, and in other sectors, through the National Metal Theft Taskforce – bringing about a 37 per cent fall in railway cable theft which, in turn, significantly reduced the delays and disruption faced by the railway as a result of criminal activity.

“Again, our specialist knowledge and close understanding of the issue allowed us to not only tackle the thieves at the point of the crime, but also to help the push for a change in legislation. Working with industry and Government, we were instrumental in helping to craft the new Scrap Metal Dealers Act which has levelled the playing field for legitimate scrap metal recyclers, brought legislation into the 21st Century and significantly increased the risk of prosecution faced by thieves and unscrupulous dealers.”

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