The Tories have warned of a fall in the number of British Transport Police (Image: Marie Wilson)
Labour is accused of allowing Britain’s railways to “slide into disorder” with numbers of British Transport Police falling at the same time as fare evasion drains cash from the network and frontline assaults rise. Officer numbers fell by 112 in the year to September, with the Conservatives warning the network is “bleeding money” as up to £400million is lost to fraud and ticketless travel.
The Tories have sounded the alarm about a rail system in which fare dodging is “normalised” and paying for a ticket is seen as something only “suckers” do. Warning of the threat to public safety, they point to 10,231 assaults in the 12 months to March, “an increase of 7% compared with the previous year”.
The Conservatives stated: “Labour still insist they are tough. In reality, they are absent. They cut transport police, tolerate mass fare evasion, and allow frontline staff to take abuse as part of the job.
“The Conservatives believe public transport should be safe, enforced, and orderly. Labour believe it should drift, decay, and be regulated at the margins while the centre gives way. Law-abiding commuters are paying the price for a Government that has lost all sense of priority.”
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Stuart Cowan, who chairs the British Transport Police Federation, said: “We have long called for increased funding for railway policing. For the safety of rail users, staff, and our colleagues, we urgently need to address significant resource gaps that have emerged in recent years.
“Last year’s funding settlement was, in my view, inadequate and put our members under pressure to do more with less, which is impossible. However, I remain hopeful that the three-year deal agreed in December will provide much-needed stability and allow BTP to finally start recruiting again.”
Conservative Shadow Transport Secretary Richard Holden said: “Labour have completely lost the plot on public transport. They are stripping officers off the rail network just as violence, harassment and fare evasion are surging.
“Cutting British Transport Police while assaults rise and hundreds of millions are lost to ticketless travel is a choice. Fewer officers means fewer checks, fewer consequences and more disorder. Law-abiding commuters pay their fares, criminals don’t, and frontline staff are left to absorb the abuse.
“Rather than backing enforcement and public safety, Labour are asleep at the wheel.
“The Conservatives believe public transport should be safe, enforced and orderly. Labour have chosen decay and rules that are optional for criminals and compulsory for everyone else.”
Shadow Transport Secretary Richard Holden says Labour has ‘lost the plot’ (Image: Manchester Evening News)
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “This is irresponsible fearmongering. Passenger safety is our highest priority and the overall rate of crime on our railways fell even further last year.
“The British Transport Police has recently been given an increased budget – a 15% rise with an increase of £63million over the three-year settlement, which will see over 200 more police officers recruited”.