POLICE ON LINE TO BEAT THUGS

Thameslink Rail is employing extra British Transport Police officers to travel on its Brighton-London trains every night between 6pm and 1am to calm fears about passenger safety. The officers will accompany the privatised train company's ticket inspectors to watch for disorderly passengers and fare dodgers. And Connex South Central said it is employing another 20 "Customer Action Team" members for its London to South Coast services. Connex spokesman Simon Eden said the extra staff's duties would include patrolling trains and checking tickets. The initiatives come after the action group Brighton Line Commuters called for new security measures following a recent series of sex attacks on passengers in Sussex. Thameslink managing director Euan Cameron said: "There are few hooligans on our trains, but a handful can cause passengers severe discomfort. "We want to get rid of all undesirables and reclaim the railway for the genuine user. "There has been a change in our society and we are reflecting society's concern. We want all our passengers to feel comfortable when travelling on Thameslink Rail." The crackdown comes at a time when reported incidents on trains are actually falling. Insp Mick Morriss, of British Transport Police in Brighton, said there had been an 11 per cent drop in crime on trains and stations in Sussex during the past year. But five serious sex attacks have prompted rail chiefs to act: Afemale Czech student was left for dead in a train lavatory on the Hastings to London service; a 15-year-old girl was raped after leaving Hastings station and a 16-year-old boy was sexually assaulted at knifepoint in a train toilet between Eastbourne and Haywards Heath. Three young boys were molested at Glynde station near Lewes and a girl was attacked on a train between Gatwick Airport and Haywards Heath from London.

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