
Drugs seized in sniffer dog swoop at Torquay railway station
Police used a sniffer dog to help them seize ecstasy, cannabis and ketamine at Torquay railway station.Polly, who is trained to sniff out drugs, was placed at key entrances and exits of the station to find people carrying drugs, Devon and Cornwall Police said.A number of stop searches following positive indications from Polly resulted in the seizure of six grams of MDMA (ecstasy), five grams of cannabis and one gram of ketamine, said police. Drugs paraphernalia was also seized and investigations were ongoing, said officers.
"This proactive work forms part of our ongoing efforts to pursue individuals involved in the movement of drugs and to deter criminals from bringing drugs into our towns," said Ch Insp Miranda Pusey.She said similar operations with British Transport Police would "continue across the year in south Devon".She added: "We will continue to send a strong message that our towns will be a difficult place for criminals to operate and deal drugs in."

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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Tube pervert, 30, who targeted lone women to sexually assault them on the Underground is jailed for just 27 weeks
A man who sexually assaulted three women on various train services across the capital, including the London Underground, has been jailed for just 27 weeks. Ahmad Ahmedzai, 30, of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, reportedly targeted lone women on trains in London on three separate occasions last year. British Transport Police (BTP) said Ahmedzai was on a train from Bushey to London Euston when he sexually assaulted a 28-year-old woman multiple times on September 10. The train was very busy so the victim was unable to move away from the man, the force added. Ahmedzai was then on a Jubilee line train on November 2 from Bermondsey when he sexually assaulted another 28-year-old woman on a busy train service. The man then sexually assaulted a 22-year-old woman on November 25 while on a very busy train from Watford Junction to London Euston. The three victims reported the assaults to BTP and provided descriptions of Ahmedzai. Oficers were then able to obtain CCTV and the man was identified through facial recognition. The individual was sentenced on Friday, May 30 at Inner London Crown Court to 27 weeks in prison following a BTP investigation. He pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault. He was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for seven years, which could result in further custodial time if he breaches it. He will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years and pay costs of £687. The SHPO means Ahmedzai can only travel on the Transport for London (TfL) network when using an oyster card, a contactless debit or credit card linked to an account in his name. When travelling outside the TfL network he has to book any ticket in advance and notify the police in advance of travel. Investigating officer Detective Constable Jack Leach said: 'Ahmedzai is a dangerous predator who targeted women on busy services in order to hide his sick antics, but due to the brave actions of those he targeted, by reporting the crimes to us we were able to catch him. 'There is zero-tolerance for sexual offences on the rail network and we will do everything in our power to bring offenders to justice.' He added: 'If you are the victim of a crime on the rail network, you can report by texting 61016 discreetly or calling 0800 405040. Always call 999 in an emergency.'


Daily Record
7 hours ago
- Daily Record
'Deeply concerning' spike in attacks against women and girls on Scotland's trains
EXCLUSIVE: Hundreds of women were assaulted, harassed or faced unwanted sexual behaviour on the rail network last year prompting anger from campaigners. Violence and sexual attacks against women and girls on Scotland's trains surged by a fifth last year, shocking data has revealed. More than 200 women were assaulted, harassed or faced unwanted sexual behaviour on the rail network between April 2024 and March 31 this year. British Transport Police found 238 offences were committed against women and girls – up 19 per cent on the previous year. The surge in violence comes despite SNP ministers – who took ScotRail into public ownership three years ago – vowing to tackle violence against women and girls. Rail union RMT chiefs had also warned about the impact of staff cuts to ticket offices. Women's groups slammed the 'deeply concerning' increase in violence towards women. Jenni Snell, CEO of the Young Women's Movement in Scotland, said: 'These new statistics around violence and intimidation against women and girls on public transport are deeply concerning but unfortunately not surprising. 'Our Status of Young Women in Scotland 2024-25 research found that public transport is the place where young women feel the least safe – even when compared to other public places like parks or online spaces. 'The upward trend of these violent crimes is not happening in a vacuum. 'It reflects a wider, systemic rise in misogyny and abuse.' British Transport Police chiefs revealed the grim findings at a meeting in Edinburgh last week. The rate of crimes solved also slumped by five per cent. About two-thirds of these were violent crimes while more than 30 per cent were sexual – including sexual assaults, harassment, exposure and communicating indecently. There was also a 60 per cent hike in attacks on female staff. A 2023 RMT survey found a third of female ScotRail workers have been sexually harassed. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: 'A 19 per cent rise in violence and intimidation against women and girls is wholly unacceptable. 'These figures back up what our women members have been telling us – the abuse is real, it is widespread and it is getting worse. 'The best way to prevent assaults and abuse of staff is a fully publicly owned, well funded and adequately staffed railway.' The stats, discussed at BTP's Scottish railways policing committee last week, also show an alarming overall rise in crime on the railways. A total of 640 violent crimes were reported, up 16 per cent on the previous year. Tory community safety spokeswoman Sharon Dowey said: 'If SNP ministers are serious about tackling violence against women and girls, these figures should be a wake-up call for them to ensure females feel safe at all times, including on our trains.' ScotRail spent £1.6million last year to triple the number of body-worn cameras and hire workers to double staff late-night trains on problem routes as part of measures to improve safety. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Customer operations director Phil Campbell said: 'We will continue to work closely with the British Transport Police to make sure people – particularly women and girls – feel safe while they're travelling.' The Transport Scotland quango said a working group was set up to assess enforcement powers against antisocial behaviour on trains to consider 'where these can be strengthened or developed further'. A BTP spokesman said: "There is absolutely no place for violent or intimidating behaviour on the railway network, whether it is targeted towards women and girls travelling across the network, or towards railway staff who are simply doing their job. "We are aware that every offence is one too many, and we have officers across the rail network around the clock, at stations and on trains, to detect and deter crimes and reassure the public."


Telegraph
14 hours ago
- Telegraph
‘I earn £38k as a train guard, but pocket extra cash catching fare dodgers'
'The secret life of…' pulls back the curtain on professions you've always wanted to know more about. If you want to anonymously reveal all about your job, email money@ I came to the railways about three years ago from the hospitality industry, where I worked in pubs and bars. I was, quite frankly, one bad pay cheque away from oblivion, making virtually no money despite working seven days a week. So joining the rail industry was a no-brainer given the pay, which was definitely the main attraction. Most people assume I'm a train driver when I tell them I'm a conductor. Others think I'm 'just a ticket inspector'. Both are wrong. As a train conductor, also called a guard, it's my voice that you'll hear over the tannoy announcing information like route changes or platform gaps at the next station. My job focuses on customer service, operating the doors, and safety, so I'm also there in case of emergencies. Sure, we also check and issue tickets when we get time between stations. But as a conductor, I have limited power if someone doesn't buy a ticket. I can ask nicely for their name to issue an 'unpaid fare notice', but I can't force them off. Only British Transport Police can do that. The real power lies with Revenue Protection Inspectors (RPI), who have the authority to issue penalty fares, or a formal caution (meaning the case goes to a magistrate). Sometimes we travel on the same train, and when that's the case, I can call them over to a carriage. Technically, I could stop the train at the next station if a person refused to cooperate, to await back-up, but that's highly discouraged. Most guards would admit they get a bit of a thrill from catching people without a ticket. You get a little commission – like 5pc – on each ticket you sell to a customer without one. If you issue a ticket costing £100 from King's Cross to Newcastle, for instance, you'd make £5. But early commuter trains can actually be the most lucrative because the number of travellers is highest. This one guy I knew told me he used to bag an extra £800 each month doing that. Personally, if it comes to someone's livelihood, I tend to turn a blind eye. There was an incident the other day when I saw an inspector charging a penalty to this poor lady who was crying. I would have said, 'Don't worry about it'. Becoming a conductor involves a series of tests, particularly because of all the safety aspects involved in the job. I think I did around 10 to qualify. There's something called the Group Bourdon test, which tests concentration. There's also a ticket-checking test, and a verbal and written communication test. The annoying thing is you'll have to redo the exams if you switch companies – they aren't transferable. Recruitment also isn't super transparent – you need to know someone to get into an opening, or there needs to be a real shortage. Pay varies wildly between companies. Some conductors make around £50,000 annually, whereas I'm paid £38,000. The discrepancies come down to historical industrial relations and union negotiations. I am in a union, and I strike whenever I can. I like the time off. However, when drivers go on strike, all other grades must still come into work. This means guards will get paid to do nothing, or have very tense shifts with double the number of passengers onboard. We're also less likely to get overtime shifts during industrial disputes with drivers, to cut costs. What's most confusing is that the train industry has a bewildering array of roles with often minimal differences between them. It's just a huge bureaucracy. For instance, conductors and train managers can do the same job on different routes, yet train managers earn about £5,000 more than me, as a conductor. Below that, there are onboard supervisors, who are similar but aren't what's called 'safety critical'. Otherwise, the transition upwards is relatively straightforward and doesn't require too much extra training. My day starts at the depot, about an hour before my shift. I pick up my 'diagram' – essentially a schedule card showing what route I've been assigned, where I'll be stopping and all that. You might be doing Paddington, Exeter, Bristol, Gloucester, and back to Paddington in a day. Then, once I've got to the platform and am onboard, I'll close the doors and buzz the driver to depart. The shifts vary considerably, but rarely go beyond 10 hours in practice. Also, you don't have to work on Sundays, but you do get a bonus if you do. What attracted me to this role, besides the money, is the independence. You're largely left to your own devices, so there's nobody micromanaging you, and we can go about our duties as we deem fit. One of the other real perks of the job is that occasionally we get 'stand-by' shifts, which means we're not assigned to any trains, but are based at the depot in case of emergencies or service alterations. Sometimes you can go a whole shift doing nothing but watching Netflix or catching up on sleep. It happens roughly every fortnight now, but when we first came out of Covid restrictions and weren't running a full service, I barely worked a train for a month and a half. What the public doesn't see is how the railway really operates behind the scenes. We'll have passengers coming up asking, 'Could you make the train go faster?' I just think, 'What do you think my job is?' The vast majority of passengers, in my experience, are surprisingly pleasant. We do have our notorious repeat fare-dodgers who are known to staff, and the occasional noisy or drunk passenger (especially during Cheltenham). Body cameras are also being increasingly mandated for conductors, supposedly to prevent attacks. I've yet to experience a physical altercation, but I do see passengers get angry, normally at fairly innocuous stuff like a train changing platform or a last-minute delay. At Paddington, our staff can be almost surrounded by irate passengers who are verbally abusive and physically threatening. Luckily, we have a consistent British Transport Police presence at most main railway stations. The biggest downside is the shift work, which plays havoc with your social life. It's one reason I don't see myself doing this for more than another year or two. The weird shift patterns make it difficult to maintain any kind of routine or community. That's also why I wouldn't want to be a train driver, despite the huge salary. They've made what I consider a fatal calculation that money is more valuable than time. When you're working these disruptive patterns, no amount of money compensates for what the shifts do to your well-being. As for the state of our railways, the infrastructure is better than in many European countries and certainly in America. The trains themselves are quite nice and new. It's just a shame they're running on such old tracks, and passengers are bearing too much of the cost to update them. There's no reason for an Edinburgh ticket to cost £200 – the price does not reflect the true value of the service. What is also frustrating is that the taxpayer still pays regardless, as the railways are publicly funded. About 95pc of the delays you hear about are infrastructure-related, due to decaying systems that desperately need investment. I feel embarrassed sometimes at the service level – last year, drivers were getting a pay rise, while we were running a terrible service on Sundays. I actually felt a little bit of shame at that point.