incident this evening at Forest Hill station

ALIB · Post by **ALIB** » 19 Jan 2009 17:31

Anyone know why there is a large police presence at Forest Hill station this evening?

Ali B

Barty · Post by **Barty** » 19 Jan 2009 17:37

Finished at half 2 today, might be able to find something out tomorrow...

bensonby · Post by **bensonby** » 19 Jan 2009 17:40

nosy parker ALIB!

ALIB · Post by **ALIB** » 19 Jan 2009 17:59

a concerned citizen. Police, camera, dogs and vehicles with darkened windows. The dogs were sniffing peoples luggage,...but i guess not for food.

Bovine Juice · Post by **Bovine Juice** » 21 Jan 2009 21:20

There was a lot of police on the northbound platform at Penge East and both platforms at Kent House at around 4ish on Monday. Must be sweeping all local stations in some sort of order.

Barty · Post by **Barty** » 21 Jan 2009 21:59

Southern have been doing random "blocks" in peak times lately - a block being a collection of RPIs (Revenue Protection Inspectors) and either British Transport Police and/or Met Police and/or PCSOs, primarily aimed at catching fare evaders.

Worth noting, though, that Penge East and Kent House aren't of course Southern stations.

And for Ali, blocks don't usually involve cameras, although I have seen a sniffer dog deployed once as part of a block (and arrests made becasue of it!)

Eagle · Post by **Eagle** » 22 Jan 2009 08:25

Well done Southern . Evaders are criminals

bensonby · Post by **bensonby** » 22 Jan 2009 09:07

its relatively common to take dogs along to operations on railway stations. They are useful at picking up drugs/explosiveds scents.

BTP are funded by the railway companies, so, in a way, by picking up fare evaders they are helping to ensure their own funding

Barty · Post by **Barty** » 22 Jan 2009 09:37

I don't suppose a few £20 Penalty Fares pays for the services of the BTP! And most of the enforcement when it comes to Penalty Fares is done by TOCs own RPIs!

So, if anything, they are paying twice - their own staff, and an outside police force, to do it!

bensonby · Post by **bensonby** » 22 Jan 2009 09:54

Barty wrote:I don't suppose a few £20 Penalty Fares pays for the services of the BTP! And most of the enforcement when it comes to Penalty Fares is done by TOCs own RPIs!

So, if anything, they are paying twice - their own staff, and an outside police force, to do it!

well, quite, but the TOCs pay for the BTP and the TOCs like btp to BTP to be present on such ops - basically to protect the RPIs.

fishcox · Post by **fishcox** » 22 Jan 2009 15:36

TOCS, BTP, RPI's

WTF?????

Barty · Post by **Barty** » 22 Jan 2009 15:44

Barty wrote:Southern have been doing random "blocks" in peak times lately - a block being a collection of RPIs (Revenue Protection Inspectors) and either British Transport Police and/or Met Police and/or PCSOs, primarily aimed at catching fare evaders.

and a TOC is a Train Operating Company. Of which Southern is one.

bensonby · Post by **bensonby** » 22 Jan 2009 17:49

fishcox wrote:TOCS, BTP, RPI's

WTF?????

TOC = Train Operating Company (ATOC = association of train operating companies)

BTP = British Transport Police

RPI = revenue protection inspector (ticket collector)

Barty · Post by **Barty** » 23 Jan 2009 09:06

And just in case a fourth confirmation is necessary....

Revenue Protection Inspector - RPI

Train Operating Company - TOC

British Transport Police - BTP

And since nobody has asked yet, a PCSO is a Police Community Support Officer

If anyone requires further clarification, please let me know.

bozax · Post by **bozax** » 25 Jan 2009 20:04

i think youl'l find that the dogs sniff for drugs, which seems a bit strong just to capture fare evaders.(Well i say "fare evaders" when i mean "gits that dont pay and make my season ticket cost more")

bensonby · Post by **bensonby** » 25 Jan 2009 22:01

bozax wrote:i think youl'l find that the dogs sniff for drugs, which seems a bit strong just to capture fare evaders.(Well i say "fare evaders" when i mean "gits that dont pay and make my season ticket cost more")

the dogs aren't there to catch fare evaders are they?!

they are there to catch people with drugs....

(they also have explosive dogs aswell - but they are, I believe, less common)

boon · Post by **boon** » 26 Jan 2009 01:46

bensonby wrote:explosive dogs

Barty · Post by **Barty** » 26 Jan 2009 16:20

Fido......sit. Good boy.

Fido.....lay down....good boy.

Fido......explode!

Woof! BOOM

bozax · Post by **bozax** » 26 Jan 2009 18:55

it's just that i was wondering when did it become illeagle to carry dope or similar on a train? i know its against the law but is that in the remit of the transport police?. seems just an exceuse to stop and search, saw the same thing at west croydon. And hey ho guess the demographic of all who got stopped. No wonder kids have a chip on their shoulder.
one young black guy was stopped searched and made to open the holdall he had, which contained.................................
plumbers tools!!!! as he was coming home from work.
i stood and watched for 10 mins and not one male over 35 ish was stopped and no women.

bensonby · Post by **bensonby** » 26 Jan 2009 19:09

bozax wrote:it's just that i was wondering when did it become illeagle to carry dope or similar on a train?

huh?

check the misuse of drugs act mate.....Cannabis is a class B drug. - It's a controlled substance...

i know its against the law

precisely!

but is that in the remit of the transport police?.

what do you think?! The remit of the police is to prevent, investigate and detect crime. tracking down people who are breaking the law is doing just that...

seems just an exceuse to stop and search, saw the same thing at west croydon.

To stop and search someone under s.23 of the misuse of drugs act a constable requires reasonable grounds to suspect that that person is carrying a controlled substance. If a constable has such a suspicion surely it is unreasonable not to search that person!? Furthermore the grounds for searching people under these powers is very closely scruitinised.

And hey ho guess the demographic of all who got stopped. No wonder kids have a chip on their shoulder.

if you don't want to be stopped don't carry drugs or give the police reason to believe you are carrying drugs

one young black guy was stopped searched and made to open the holdall he had, which contained.................................
plumbers tools!!!! as he was coming home from work.

well, you saw what you believed was a negative search. Your opinion is therefore obviously valid and we should stop searching people for drugs and stop enforcing the law.

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incident this evening at Forest Hill station

incident this evening at Forest Hill station