More than 350 British Transport Police’s (BTP) officers will be out on Hallowe’en to tackle problematic behaviour and reassure passengers travelling on the London Underground and the national rail lines. 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 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 what the force calls a greater commitment from BTP 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.”
