Transport police bearing brunt of violence

POLICE tasked with protecting the travelling public are bearing the brunt of acts of random violence.

Figures have revealed that more than 12 British Transport Police (BTP) officers are being assaulted each week, with many suffering serious injuries.

That compares to about 10 assaults a week against officers serving with the other 43 forces in England and Wales.

The statistics emerged the day after a man stabbed a BTP officer and two other people during a suspected terror attack at Victoria station, Manchester. A 25-year-old man was arrested at the

scene and was being questioned by police. The officer, who was struck in the shoulder, has since left hospital.

In the three years to last October there were 1,939 reported assaults against BTP officers, resulting in more than 230 injuries, the figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request show.

Leeds station had the greatest number of assaults in that time, with 66. London Victoria was second, with 60, closely followed by Manchester Piccadilly, with 56 attacks.

A large number of assaults were reported at other stations in the capital, with 48 at Stratford and 44 at St Pancras

International. Glasgow Central station suffered the most assaults of any station outside England with 38.

Assaults on BTP officers were recorded at more than 500 locations, including level crossings, hospitals and in custody, with 226 incidents of actual bodily harm and 13 more serious offences of grievous bodily harm.

Supt Darren Malpas, of the BTP, called the figures a “shocking revelation”. He said: “Attacks on officers will not be tolerated and every assault is one too many.”

There were 24,000 assaults on officers serving with other forces in 2016-17, with 8,973 resulting in injury.