Ref.: thisisbristol.co.uk
http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/displayN ... K=13093279
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BOOZE EXTENSION FEAR ON CITY TRAINS
BY PAUL MCLENNAN P.MCLENNAN
11:00 - 29 August 2005
The head of police at Bristol's Temple Meads station fears extended drinking hours will lead to more trouble on the city's railways. A report from the British Transport Police has found there has been an increase in violence on the railways, much of it fuelled by alcohol.
Brendan Roper, acting inspector at Bristol Temple Meads, has echoed the concerns of Chief Constable Ian Johnston, who said that his force had "serious concerns" about the effect that extended licensing hours will have in big cities.
Violent crime against passengers and staff on mainline railways increased last year, despite a fall in the total number of offences.
The number of sexual offences and cases of criminal damage also rose in the year to March, the BTP said in its annual report.
There were 9,748 cases of violent crime on Britain's railways, an 11 per cent increase on the previous year. The number of public order offences rose by 27 per cent following a campaign by transport police to target anti-social behaviour.
Mr Roper told the Evening Post: "Extended drinking hours will depend on how many publicans will make use of it. But it is bound to have an impact.
"People who want to get from A to B will want any form of transport and our policing may have to be altered to cope with that.
"Extended drinking hours will mean people will be coming back from pubs expecting to catch a train. Local people will know they won't get one, but other people may not be aware of this.
"We are constantly changing and evolving our policing. We want to do the best we can, but we won't know until it happens.
"In my 27 years here, alcohol has always been a problem and always will be. I would say that we are getting called to more drink-related offences now then we were five years ago.
"We get drunk people on the approach road, on trains and in the stations. Some people are happy, others want to sleep and others want to fight and won't see sense."
Mr Roper said that although officers were used to dealing with alcohol-fuelled incidents, the location of Temple Meads means that these are not as frequent as in other cities.
If football fans travelling in and out of Bristol for games have been drinking, they can also cause problems for the police.
For Bristol, the number of travelling fans often depends on how the two main teams are faring in the league, says Mr Roper.
If police know in advance that large numbers of fans will be travelling they have powers to make trains 'dry', which means no alcohol is allowed onboard.
The Rail Maritime and Transport union has renewed its call for the return of guards to all trains and for more uniformed staff on stations.
Meanwhile a spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: "Flexible opening hours will reduce the need to speed drink. It will end the double madness of people gulping two or three rounds of drinks to beat last orders and then all being thrown out onto the streets at the same time."