British Transport Police’s (BTP) latest operation will see more than 350 officers out in force on Hallowe’en to tackle problematic behaviour and reassure passengers travelling on the London Underground and the national rail network.
The operation aims to prove the rail network is not a scary place – even on a night when people will be dressing up and ‘trick or treating’.
On Friday, October 31, BTP’s B Division officers will be deployed across London and surrounding areas including Luton in order to tackle anti-social behaviour and to specifically reassure passengers travelling on the Thameslink services with patrols also taking place on trains across the East, Transport for London (TfL) and South sub-divisions.
Chief Superintendent Paul Brogden, B Division Commander, said: “Hallowe’een is a great time for people to come together and have some fun by going ‘trick or treating’ and dressing up, but it is also a time when a few people can cause nuisance on the rail network and the London Underground system.
“Officers will be patrolling trains and offering reassurance to passengers that the rail network and the underground is a safe place to travel at night.”
The Hallowe’en operation forms part of a greater commitment from British Transport Police to tackle anti-social behaviour and violence on the rail network across B Division.
Chief Supt Brogden added: “Thankfully violent crime is rare on the railway, but, because of the nature of rail carriages, when violence does happen it can be extremely frightening for those who witness it. My officers are determined to tackle this issue and we work closely with our colleagues in the rail industry to look at ways in which we can drive trouble makers from the network.”
A TfL spokesman said: “We will be working in partnership with British Transport Police throughout the Hallowe’en weekend reassuring our passengers and ensuring they remain safe across London’s transport network. We advise people to plan their journeys.”
A spokesman for Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) said: “We welcome this operation which aims to tackle problematic behaviour during Hallowe’en. The safety of passengers on all our services is one of our top priorities at all times of the year. To keep customers safe and secure we invest heavily in a dedicated team of British Transport Police (BTP) officers to patrol our route and crime has fallen.”