CRACKDOWN TO TARGET CRIMINALS CAUSING CHAOS AT STATIONS Police in pledge to fight violence on the railways
POLICE have vowed to cut violent crime in Glasgow’s train stations by 10 per cent in a year.
A total of 66 violent offences were recorded in Queen Street and Central Station in 2014-15. British Transport Police (BTP) officers are working towards reducing this figure to 59.
They also want to cut passenger theft.
Officers will take part in more late-night station patrols and crackdown on anti-social behaviour in a bid to meet new targets.
BTP Superintendent John McBride, Glasgow-based divisional commander for Scotland, said: “We have set challenging targets for the coming year following consultation with industry partners and the public.
“Our priorities are to continue reducing violence and theft of passenger property
Supporting victims of crime is at the heart of everything we do
and to minimise disruption at key locations.
“Alongside this, supporting victims of crime is at the heart of everything we do.”
BTP officers will work with Community Rail partnerships across Scotland as they try to improve confidence in the country’s station policing.
Mr McBride added that 2014 was a challenging year for BTP officers in Glasgow due to major events in the city, namely the Commonwealth Games and First Wo r ld Wa r commemorations.
Mr McBride said officers took part in months of planning ahead of the events.
A BTP helicopter crew kept an eye on the rail network from the sky and an emergency response unit was set up to deal with line-side events quickly.
The new targets have been set by the British Transport Police Authority after they asked rail users and station staff their opinions on the way stations across the country are policed.
Feedback from the consultation was used to develop BTP’s annual policing plan.
Paul Crowther, BTP chief constable, added: “The targets for 2015-16 build on our successes last year to reduce disruption and increase passenger confidence and will, rightly, be extremely challenging.
“Passenger feedback means this year we are confident our targets are focused on the issues that matter most. Securing the confidence of passengers is vital to our success as a force, increasing visibility and ensuring we have the right people, with the right skills, in the right place, at the right time, will help us achieve this.”
BTP are also seeking public opinion on the new targets.
Millie Banerjee chairwoman of the British Transport Police Association said: “This year’s targets capture the big issues affecting those who travel or work on the railways because we’ve worked with passengers and rail employees to develop them.
“They support the Force to make the greatest impact by encouraging partnership working, while focusing policing where it is needed most.”