Efforts to improve safety at notorious level crossing stepped up
So far this year, there have been 18 recorded incidents, including people crossing despite warnings of an approaching train. In 2024-25, there were 32 incidents in total, and 54 in 2023-24.
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As part of International Level Crossing Awareness Day, a worldwide initiative marked this year on Thursday, June 5, Network Rail level crossing teams are collaborating with British Transport Police to raise awareness about level crossing safety. The action aims to remind the public of simple steps that can prevent serious accidents.
Innis Keith, health, safety and environment director at Network Rail Scotland, said: 'Level crossings are safe when used correctly, but misuse can have devastating consequences.
'At Broughty Ferry, we've seen too many potentially dangerous situations. That's why it's important we work together to raise awareness and help people understand how to stay safe.
'It's about protecting lives and making sure no family faces the heartbreak of a preventable tragedy. Staying alert and taking a few careful steps can be the difference between getting home safely and not making it home at all.'
Trespass sign at Broughty Ferry level crossing (Image: Network Rail Scotland) Inspector Ashley Forbes of British Transport Police said: 'There is simply no excuse for misusing a level crossing and ignoring safety procedures, and the consequences of trying to beat the system or failing to pay attention are severe.
'You not only put your own life at risk when you fail to treat a level crossing with respect, but also the lives of the passengers and staff of the oncoming train.
'The railways can be incredibly dangerous, which is why people need to do the right thing when using railway level crossings. If you see anyone failing to adhere to the safety procedures and putting themselves and others in harm's way, I urge you to report it to us by texting 61016 or by calling us. Always dial 999 in an emergency.'
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Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
The robbers, sex attackers and handbag thieves running riot on lawless London's trains as Tube crime surges
Detectives are hunting for a series of robbers and attackers across London 's train network after a spate of violent incidents in recent weeks. British Transport Police have issued five appeals for suspects this week as they probe reports of crimes such as sexual assaults, bicycle theft and wallet robbery. Recent incidents in the capital have seen robbers try to grab shopping bags or handbags, or leave people with lasting injuries following violent incidents. It comes after commuters were accused of assaulting a man who dropped his trousers on a District line train near Upton Park in East London on August 7. BTP have interviewed two of the four vigilantes so far, while the man - who told them to 'f*** off' after requests to pull up his pants - was taken to hospital and sectioned under the Mental Health Act. No arrests have been made and the probe continues. Police want to identify the other two men brawling with the man, who was initially arrested by an off-duty officer when he refused to cover up then wielded his belt. During the incident the man began yelling then dropped his trousers and put his belt around his neck. His bottom and genitals were on show, sparking anger and revulsion around him on the train, which was busy with children on their summer holidays. A passenger stood up and quickly confronted him, gesticulating angrily. He politely and firmly told him: 'You need to get off the train.' But the man began repeatedly yelling back: 'F*** off.' The commuter said in response: 'What do you mean "f*** off"? You need to get off the f***ing train. Now. There are kids on here.' Footage of the incident showed up to four men kicking and punching the naked man, who was hitting them with his belt. He was later pinned to the floor of the carriage. The man was then unceremoniously carried on to the Tube platform at East Ham and dumped to the floor. He was then held down as the commuters tried to alert staff. Separately, a huge fight broke out at the entrance to Highbury and Islington station on July 17 - with a screaming toddler ending up on the floor in the melee. Members of the public attempted to intervene as the group appeared to hurl a man down the stairs at the North London hub and throw punches and kicks at him. Footage captured the chaos as a smartly-dressed man kicked the head of another in a grey tracksuit - as someone else threw a rucksack into the packed crowd. Commuters attempted to break up the fight and helped a mother and her baby in a buggy get out of the way, before bystanders rushed to pick up the child off the floor. Some 16,288 crimes were reported on the Underground network between January and August 2024 – a rise of 13 per cent on the same period the year before. Bond Street (Elizabeth line, Zone 1) A passenger was walking to the Elizabeth Line platforms at Bond Street late on a Sunday evening last month when a man grabbed her shopping bag. The woman pulled the bag back and kept hold of it, but he then tried to grab her handbag during the incident at around 10pm on July 13. She eventually managed to walk away with her belongings after other members of the public intervened – and detectives are now probing the attempted robbery. A photograph of a man walking along a station corridor has been issued by police because they believe 'may have information which could help their investigation'. BTP wants anyone who recognises the man to tell them with reference 391 of July 18. Canning Town (Jubilee line, Zone 2/3) A woman was sexually assaulted in a stairwell at Canning Town Underground station in East London on a Wednesday evening last month. Detectives are now investigating the crime at 6.20pm on July 30 at the Jubilee line station, which has an interchange with the Docklands Light Railway. They released a CCTV image in connection with the investigation, and believe the man in the picture 'may have information that could assist their enquiries'. Anyone who recognises him should contact BTP with reference 161 of July 31. Belsize Park (Northern line, Zone 2) An Underground passenger was assaulted on a station platform and suffered what police described as a 'lasting eye injury' in a shocking assault. Officers said the man was assaulted at the Grade II-listed Belsize Park station on the Northern line in North London just after 5pm on Saturday, June 19. They have now released a CCTV image in connection with the assault because the man in the picture 'may have information which could help their investigation'. Anyone who recognises him is asked to contact BTP with reference 514 of June 19. Elstree & Borehamwood (Thameslink, Zone 6) A 14-year-old boy was robbed of his bicycle on board a Thameslink train leaving Elstree and Borehamwood station in Hertfordshire heading into London. The teenager was approached by a man on a Friday afternoon last month who stole his bicycle on the train, which was travelling towards Mill Hill Broadway. Police do not know where the man left the train, but later the same evening he is believed to have been seen again exiting at Elstree and Borehamwood. Detectives issued a photograph of a man who 'may have information that could assist their enquiries' following the incident at about 4.45pm on Friday, July 11. Anyone who recognises him should contact BTP using reference 527 of July 11. Southend East (c2c, Essex) A man trying to buy a train ticket at a machine was robbed at knifepoint by a man and woman who approached him in the early hours of a Friday morning. One of the robbers at Southend East, a c2c station in Essex, had a knife in their hand and pushed the man to the floor, demanding his wallet. The man got up and tried to get away, but was punched and knocked to the floor during the incident in the seaside city on July 25 at about 4.30am. As the man got up, several items of jewellery, a bag of medication, and a jacket containing his mobile phone were taken. BTP investigating officer DC Nicola Avery said: 'We would like to speak to the two pictured as we believe they may have information that could help our investigation. 'While we appreciate the images may not show the clearest picture of the pair due to their face coverings, someone may recognise their clothing or notice something distinctive.' Southend East is on the c2c line between Shoeburyness and London Fenchurch Street and Liverpool Street stations, and is popular with commuters to the capital. Anyone who recognises either person in the images or has information about the robbery is asked to contact BTP, quoting reference 68 of July 25. Anyone who recognises anyone in the photos can text BTP via 61016 or call 0800 40 50 40. They can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111
Spectator
2 days ago
- Spectator
Of course shoplifters are scumbags
A familiar cliché, which in history has been disproved time and again, is that a police force cannot operate without the consent of the people. Tell that to the residents of what was once East Berlin. But that old canard raises a different problem. Which people are giving the consent? The ones who abide by the law, or the ones who are disposed to breaking it? I wondered about this when I read two stories over the weekend, both of which suggested to me that the police have long since lost the support of that first group of people, that more numerous community, the people who don't habitually break the law. The first case concerned a nutter on the Tube, somewhere on the Hammersmith and City line, who decided to drop his trousers and underpants and display his pork truncheon to the various women, children and men who were his fellow passengers. There is a video online of what happened next. A male passenger remonstrates with the bloke and tells him to pull his trousers up. The nutter shouts 'fuck off' repeatedly and becomes aggressive – at which point three or four men wrestle him to the ground and out of the train at the next station, pinioning him with his hands behind his back. He is taken into custody by an off-duty copper and decanted into a convenient booby hatch. After the incident, British Transport Police revealed they were investigating the matter with a view to prosecuting the vigilantes for assault. Part of the statement read as follows: 'The man had been assaulted by a number of other passengers and was initially arrested by an off-duty officer, before being detained under the Mental Health Act and taken to hospital.' I am assuming you agree with me that it is not OK to drop your drawers and start waving your gremlins around at other passengers on public transport and that the men who intervened did the right thing, even if they were perhaps a little brusque. I would further venture that the nutter was remarkably lucky he didn't get a good beating. And I suspect most people would agree with this assessment – but not the police. They are once again more interested in preserving the dignity and security of the offender than they are with the sensibilities of the public. The same applies to the frankly astonishing case of Rob Davies, who owns a retro clothing store in Wrexham called Run Ragged. He put up a notice in his window which read as follows: 'Due to scumbags shoplifting, please ask for assistance to open cabinets.' Somebody reported this little sign to the police and, true to form, a couple of dense coppers turned up at his shop and advised him to remove the notice lest it give offence to people. Mr Davies told me that he asked the coppers to whom the notice might give offence – shoplifters, for example? He also asked if the police's view was that shoplifters were not actually scumbags, but did not receive an intelligible answer. The irony in this particular case is quite exquisite. Mr Davies said that his store had been the target of shoplifters on five occasions so far this year, and on only one occasion did the police turn up to investigate. In that instance they caught the shoplifter and returned to Mr Davies the shirt that had been stolen, but let the thief off without so much as a warning. The only good news to come out of this is that Mr Davies has rejected the advice to take down his notice – or, rather, he has taken the original scrawled sign down and rewritten it five times the size on a larger piece of paper. He believes – and I agree with him – that the police behaviour in this episode suggests that not only has shoplifting been decriminalised, but that the shoplifters constitute a 'vulnerable' community and that their sensibilities should not be disquieted by being called mildly nasty names. Again, I would suggest that a good 90 per cent of the country would be on Rob Davies's side in this dispute, just as I would imagine a similar proportion would lament the fact that the coppers no longer give a monkeys about shoplifting. I daresay a few idiots will insist that it is not a crime for the starving to steal to save their lives – and that would seem to be the premise upon which the police operate: that shoplifters are the downtrodden, the poor, the 'vulnerable', and that one should give them every inch of leeway available. Both stories also indicate how our society is breaking down and both stories make life in the UK that little bit more perilous and dismal. The consequence of what happened in the first story is that surely fewer people will be minded to intervene if they see someone committing an illegal act, because they fear that they themselves might end up getting prosecuted by the old bill. And so instead they will sit and watch, rendered passive by a police force which has forgotten the reason it exists. And in the second case? What you will see is exactly what has happened in those liberal American cities which have more or less officially decriminalised shoplifting. The former streets of commerce will be a vista of boarded-up shopfronts, with countless small enterprises forced out of existence. And as a consequence of that, our economy will show even less inclination of growing. Like the landlords forced out of business because the fashionable view today is that all landlords are bastards and all renters downtrodden angels and owners of property should therefore not be able to do what they like with their houses, so the shop owners will go bust because we – or our authorities – have decided that shoplifters are nicer than shop owners and should never, ever, be called scumbags.
Rhyl Journal
3 days ago
- Rhyl Journal
Man who stepped into path of train carrying young boy jailed for 10 years
Frederick Danquah, 28, stepped in front of a train after a relationship breakdown with the child's mother. Both the child and Danquah were injured in the incident at Garrowhill railway station in Glasgow's east end on July 2, 2023. Danquah denied attempted murder and another charge of culpable and reckless conduct, regarding another incident on the same date, stating his mental condition as a defence, but he was convicted by a jury at the High Court in Glasgow last month. At the same court on Wednesday, the judge said the 'harm was of the greatest kind' and sentenced Danquah to 10 years in prison. He also imposed a non-harassment order until the child is 18. The court heard that earlier that day, Danquah tried to climb over a footbridge above the M8 in Glasgow with the child on his shoulders, after arguing with his ex-partner who told him she had 'moved on'. After posting a suicidal message on Facebook, he prepared a 'contingency plan' including a note with contact details, the court heard. Danquah collected the child from relatives and took him into Glasgow city centre and met his sister's partner, before he attempted to climb the bridge over the M8. He was spotted by police but 'reassured them', the court heard, before he travelled to Garrowhill station with the child and made an attempt on their lives. British Transport Police said Danquah sustained a broken jaw and fracture to his neck, while the child suffered cuts and bruises but no serious injuries, and the child was discharged from hospital two days later. Sentencing, Judge Tony Kelly said: 'You went to the platform, picked up [the child] and walked into the path of a train. You suffered injuries and [the child] was injured. 'To seek to take the life… over some hours is great criminality. I have no doubt about your intentions.' 'You were intent on taking your own life on July 2, 2023.' He said a train driver 'saw you step in the path of a train' and people involved in the rescue were in 'various stages of upset'. The court heard Danquah had no previous convictions and was involved in a Ghanian community group. Danquah made further attempts on his life including in December 2023, the court heard. Defending, Gary Allan said it was a 'horrible miracle' and Danquah was receiving psychiatric help since a 'one-off horror story took place at his own hand'. Mr Allan said Danquah had been 'beaten up by other prisoners', and jail 'will be living nightmare for him'.
