A significant amount of football-related anti-social behaviour goes unreported, maybe because rail staff think it is ‘just part of the job’, suggests British Transport Police (BTP).
BTP Assistant Chief Constable Steve Thomas, who is also a former lead on football policing for the Association of Chief Police Officers, says: “The vast majority of travelling fans cause us no problems and we want to encourage them to use the railway as a safe and convenient way to travel.
“But there’s still that disruptive minority who cause problems for fellow fans and other rail passengers. We need rail staff to report all instances of anti-social behaviour so we have the full picture and can respond immediately where necessary. We also use that information to decide how we deploy resources for future games.
“We can’t have police on every train, but with good intelligence from front line rail staff and the public, we can get better at having the right numbers in the right place at the right time to prevent any trouble. Abusive and drunken behaviour, travelling without tickets or violent behaviour are not acceptable at any time, and travelling to or from a match is no excuse. Rail staff and passengers shouldn’t have to put up with this. I think the public are less and less tolerant of this sort of behaviour and recent posts on YouTube have rightly horrified people.
“This season, we are making renewed efforts working with the rail industry to identify the small number of violent, drunken, disorderly or racist individuals who give clubs and football generally a bad name. If they are very drunk, they will find themselves refused travel; if they are disorderly, they will be removed from trains; if they are violent or racist they will be arrested and we will seek banning orders against them. We will use CCTV, uniform and plain clothes officers to identify those responsible and then take action against them. Passengers can also ‘discreetly’ report crime and disorderly behaviour using BTP’s 61016 text number.”
And Andy Odell, Police and Security Liaison Advisor for the Association of Train Operating Companies, said: “Train companies welcome law abiding football fans onto the network and will do all they can to ensure supporters enjoy a safe journey this football season. All rail passengers deserve to travel in comfort and without risk to their security and we are working with the police, football authorities and clubs to ensure that happens. Rail staff too should not be subjected to intimidation, threats or abuse by so-called football fans, which is why the industry is cracking down on such behaviour.” BTP says that it has stepped up co-ordination with train operators, offering regular joint football and events planning meetings and identifying single points of contact for football-related issues within each train company.
BTP has also contributed to the Association of Chief Police Officers’ review of football disorder being carried out by DCC Andy Holt, ACPO lead on football policing.
Rail staff can report incidents via their company control rooms and also have a dedicated direct line into BTP. Members of the public can report non-emergency incidents on Freefone 0800 405040 and can also text BTP on 61016.
