Article: Trains under attack with more than 1000 incidents reported each month

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Trains under attack with more than 1000 incidents reported each month

Trains under attack with more than 1000 incidents reported each month

    * John Masanauskas
    * From: Herald Sun
    * April 18, 2010 10:49PM

UPDATE 10.50am: FIFTY more train stations would be staffed around the clock in a union push to counter a spate of rail violence.

The Police Association and Rail, Tram and Bus Union will today jointly calling for 100 more "authorised officers" to ride the rails, and for 47 more train stations to be staffed from the first to last train.

Their call comes on the back of a confidential intelligence report that reveals that the city's rail system is under attack with more than 1000 incidents including assaults, weapons, offensive behaviour and vandalism reported each month.

Do you agree with the unions' plan to boost staff and security at stations and on trains? Add your comment below.

The rail union and Police Association have today launched a major campaign to boost the number of security officers and transit police.

Police association spokesman Greg Davies said today upgrading the stations would make rail travel safer.

"Even having one staff member at a railway station for the entire time the system was operating would provide a level of safety and a level of comfort to rail travellers," Mr Davies told Radio 3AW this morning.

Rail, Tram and Bus Union state secretary Trevor Dobbyn said there were too few officers being moved around to trouble spots without the problem being fixed.

"We need a policy that staffs train stations, ensures that areas around stations are patrolled and ultimately that there are enough police to respond when needed," he said.

Train security officers are finding weapons such as knives, tomahawks and box cutters hidden in bushes at station car parks as figures reveal 21 officers were injured last month, including one who was admitted to hospital.

The top crime hot spots were Bentleigh to Frankston on the Frankston line, South Yarra to Narre Warren on the Pakenham line and Box Hill to Belgrave on the Belgrave line, according to the Metro Trains document seen by the Herald Sun.

Incident reports for March highlighted assaults between 9pm and last train from Fridays to Sundays at Caulfield, Bentleigh, East Ringwood and Ringwood stations.

Rock throwing was rife on the Dandenong-Pakenham corridor from Saturdays to Mondays, the report said.

An authorised officer, who asked to remain anonymous, said yesterday that armed gangs were assaulting people and damaging property.

"Every day we have to deal with drug and alcohol affected people who are violent and abusive towards us and passengers," he said.

The rail network has about 360 authorised officers, but as few as 60 are patrolling trains and stations in the evenings, according to sources.

Only 77 of Melbourne's 211 stations have permanent staff.

Metro spokesman Chris Whitefield said the number of reported crimes was a tiny fraction of the 400,000 passenger trips taken on trains daily.

"We think it's the perception of safety on the system that is the issue," he said.