Pickpocket fears rise on Tube as transport police axe ‘Dip Squad’
A SPECIALIST pickpocket squad that targets thieves operating on the London Underground is to be axed in a shake-up of policing on the railways.
The so-called Dip Squad which has clocked up hundreds of arrests of pickpockets in recent years is to be disbanded at the end of the week.
The move by British Transport Police echoes a plan last year to axe another specialist squad investigating sex attacks on the Tube. That decision was reversed after outrage when the move was revealed by the Standard.
Today British Transport Police said the Dip Squad was not getting disbanded “as such” but its work was being divided between two teams.
A spokeswoman said: ”We’ll have a dedicated team of detectives responsible for investigating theft of passenger property in London and the South-East. We’ll have six ‘proactive’ teams in London, responsible for carrying out patrols to target offenders and reduce crime. Previously all this work was the responsibility of the Dip Squad.”
The decision to disband the unit emerged when the squad tweeted this week: “We have just arrested a Dip #Holborn after we saw him steal a phone from a lone female. Could be our last one, I am going to miss this.”
The move to axe the squad was met with concern on Twitter with one post saying: “Bonkers to disband them. @ btp declaring open season on commuters by professional pickpockets.”