Latest news with #securityGuards
South China Morning Post
26-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
Can neighbours, security guards do more to help Hong Kong single families in need?
Neighbours, security guards and kindergartens can play a bigger role to help look out for vulnerable single-parent families in Hong Kong amid restricted information sharing under a privacy law, observers have said, after the recent discovery of a three-year-old girl alone at home with her mother's dead body. A three-year-old child was found alone in a flat alongside her mother's body in Ping Wah House, Lok Wah North Estate, in Kwun Tong. Photo: Google Map A lawmaker on Monday also explained that families with special needs could respond better to volunteers in similar circumstances, a day after a welfare official pledged to explore expanding the definition of a 'high-risk carer' The toddler was found on Friday crying alone in a public flat in Kwun Tong, next to the body of her 40-year-old mother, who was suspected to have died days earlier. 'In this incident, neighbours played a pivotal role. After all, compared to organisations, people have more regular contact with one another, [whether it's] bumping into each other or exchanging simple greetings,' Kwun Tong district councillor Lee Ka-hang said on a radio programme on Monday. 'If neighbours hear children repeatedly crying, they can tell the Housing Department about their observations so everyone can be more alert,' he said, adding that the information neighbours shared could be very helpful in supporting families in need. 'When security guards make their rounds in the building, they can also pay attention to what arguments are about, if they hear any, and whether they are persistent. Would these be worth taking note of, with the information shared with relevant organisations? These are ways that could be helpful to the matter,' he noted. Speaking on the same radio show, lawmaker Bill Tang Ka-piu of the Federation of Trade Unions said special care should be given to single-parent families, as it was very challenging looking after young children, especially those still in kindergarten aged six or under.
Daily Mail
26-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Britain's shameless fare dodgers revealed: Moment brazen commuters attack police, barge through barriers and insult train staff in bid to avoid paying for tickets
It's become a common sight across Britain's rail network - passengers brazenly travelling without buying a ticket and then attempting to get away with it. But while many avoid detection using a variety of illegal tactics, others are caught in the act by revenue protection officers stationed across the network. Some try pushing through barriers to avoid having to touch in or out, while others attempt to buy 'short tickets' for only part of their journey for a cheaper fare. Others resort to violence if they are caught, with shocking videos filmed at stations showing passengers attacking police officers or punching security guards. Now, a new Channel 5 documentary called 'Fare Dodgers: At War with the Law' airing on Monday evenings at 9pm has uncovered the scale of the problem. Producers gave MailOnline an exclusive early viewing of the show, which reveals some of the most common tactics used by passengers trying to travel for free: Barrier pushers Passengers pushing through barriers to travel for free are now a regularly occurence at railway stations in Britain - angering those who do pay their fare correctly. One tactic is to simply push through the wider gates at the end of the barriers which are often used by the disabled or those travelling with children. Another method used by fare evaders is to walk quickly behind someone touching in or out at a gate, making it through behind them before the gate closes. One CCTV video in the documentary shows a man being confronted by a member of station security, before punching them and pushing through the wide gate. The show also features an incident at Kingston station in South West London, a hotspot for fare evaders on South Western Railway (SWR), where revenue protection officers regularly work with British Transport Police (BTP). A passenger arrives at the gates and says a 'guy let me through at Clapham Junction', adding: 'My card doesn't work on it, I don't know why.' The revenue protection officer tells him: 'OK, let's have a look. Let me just come back through. If you just step aside, then I'm just going to come in and have a little look. So what are you saying, your card doesn't work?' The man continues: 'My card doesn't work, and when I tap it... When I go to Apple Pay, like I show you, I've got money in my account, it doesn't work. It only works when I...' He is asked whether he has tried to tap out, and then attempts to do so but the barrier does not open. The inspector says: 'Because it's been blocked by the issuer - you will still have to get in touch with them - for some reason.' Refusing to co-operate with her, the man then barges through the gates before being tackled by three BTP officers who get him into a corner to arrest him. He is seen aggressively trying to get the way and attacking the officers, shouting: 'Get off me bruv, get off me man.' While the revenue protection officer watches from a distance, the man then appears to spit towards one of the BTP officers, who says: 'Did he just spit?' The clip finishes with one of the revenue protection officers saying: 'Oh he's going to get nicked.' The other replies: 'Yes he is.' The woman adds: 'Sometimes people's reactions, they just amaze me. I just can't understand why they get so angry. I do get that you're going to work, and you're in a rush as well. But at the end of the day, we're doing it for you.' But producers revealed the case against the man was later closed because it was deemded 'not in the interest of justice' to continue. Refusing to pay Other passengers are caught at the gate without a ticket by revenue protection officers before refusing to pay and resorting to obfuscation with their details. One such incident at London Waterloo station saw an extraordinarily brazen man arguing at the gateline while the inspector tried to ask him for his details. The clip begins with the officer saying: 'So what are we doing, are we waiting for the police?' But the man replies: 'I'm not waiting for the police, I'm just going to figure out how I can get going now.' He is asked by the officer: 'So you're just going to fare evade and try and get away with it, is that what you're saying?' But the man says: 'I will get away with it.' When the officer tells him that he is on camera and the footage will be sent to the BTP, the man says: 'That's fine' The officer then asks him whether the address he has provided is definitely his, but the man says: 'I can't guarantee that. You might as well just let me go.' The man then claims that he does not 'even know how to spell my name, I'll be honest' – before the officer calls for station security and tells the man he needs to verify his identity. The man says: 'I don't know why I'm standing here. I can just literally walk away from you.' When told he is on the officer's camera and on CCTV, the man says: 'That doesn't bother me. That's the funny thing, like. To be honest, like, it's not the first time, like.' Asked by the officer 'why are you doing this?', the man replies: 'Because I'm not paying for transport.' When the security team arrive, the officer says: 'I'm just concerned that this one's going to run away from me and is refusing to give correct details. So if you could just hang by with me please, that would be very kind.' He then tells the man: 'This could have been done really quickly if you'd have just given me the correct details.' The man then finally provides the officer with his details, and his identity is confirmed. He is told: 'So, as you don't have a ticket, it will be a penalty fare.' The man then wrongly accuses the officer of lying, before adding: 'You've got my thing, can I go now? Let me out please, thank you. 'I couldn't give a toss, honestly, literally, you couldn't like bother me in which way. You want to fine me? Go about your day, that's fine.' He is given a reference number on a receipt and told to pay £56.60 within 21 days, which will then increase to £105.60.' But the man says: 'I'm not paying it.' The officer then tells him: 'If you don't pay it whatsoever, there'll be a report for prosecution' The man sarcastically adds: 'Lovely, I love that. I'm not signing anything.' When the officer tells the man he needs to keep the receipt but does not have to sign it, the man says: 'You keep that, I'm not keeping it, because I'm not paying it. I'll go to court.' He is then allowed to go out of the gate, and the clip concludes. Producers revealed the man did later pay his penalty fare notice and the case was closed. Short or 'doughnut' fares Passengers can illegally try to evade full ticket prices by attempting 'short fares', which is where you only buy a ticket for part of your journey. Commuters on SWR often travel into London from much further afield but buy an e-ticket from a stop near Waterloo such as Vauxhall for a much cheaper fare. This means they can try to go through the barriers at Waterloo without issue and avoid paying for the full journey. Other try doing 'doughnut tickets', which is where you buy a short ticket for the first part of the journey, to scan the QR code on your entry barrier; and then another short ticket for the last section, to scan out at your destination station. This can lead to a much cheaper fare because you do not pay for the lengthier middle section of the trip - meaning there is a hole in the journey, hence the 'doughnut'. But you still have a valid ticket to enter at a starting point and exit at the destination, and can therefore try to go undetected if you are not caught out by an inspector. The documentary looks at one passenger who had been trying a range of tactics, but was finally caught after evading nearly £20,000 in ticket costs. The offender had been paying for only a small part of his full journey from Surrey to Waterloo, when he bought an e-ticket only from Vauxhall to Waterloo. While this made his ticket much cheaper, the passenger was also using a 16-17 Saver Railcard he is not entitled to for a half-price discount which further reduced the price. An SWR revenue protection team identified him through CCTV and then eventually caught him in the act at Waterloo to pursue a prosecution, after finding he had been evading an average of £35 each day going back to 2022. The documentary showed undercover officers being deployed across stations which the man used. Each time the passenger was on the move, the investigators tracked him in real time to pinpoint his arrival - and then apprehend him when he arrived at the platform. Jonathan Burrows One of Britain's biggest fare dodging cases saw a high-flying City executive pay back nearly £43,000 after he was caught not paying for train tickets over five years. Jonathan Burrows carried out the ruse by boarding the London-bound train from Stonegate, a rural station with no barriers in East Sussex, without buying a ticket, before tapping out using an Oyster card at Cannon Street. It meant the investment executive paid a £7.20 maximum Oyster fare rather than paying for a £21.50 train ticket for the one hour, 22-minute journey. His scam was uncovered in 2013 when a ticket inspector at Cannon Street saw him swiping through the ticket barriers with his Oyster card. The inspector realised Burrows had been charged only £7.20 – the modest penalty imposed at the time when a passenger failed to swipe in at the start of a journey. Burrows admitted having failed to use his Oyster card to tap in for five journeys between London Bridge – where he got off his train from East Sussex – and Cannon Street, which should have cost him just £2.30 a time. However, further inquiries revealed that until 2008 Burrows had been buying an annual season ticket from Stonegate, which has no ticket barriers, to Cannon Street, which cost around £4,500 a year for standard class. He had then stopped buying season tickets, but simply continued working in London, apparently only paying £7.20 for the brief final leg of his long train journey. Southeastern told Burrows he owed them £42,550 in unpaid fares, plus £450 in legal costs, which he paid – before his identity was later unmasked. Solicitors for Burrows later claimed that while £43,000 was paid to Southeastern trains to settle the matter out of court, that sum did not reflect the value of the unpaid fares alone, which could be measured in hundreds rather than thousands of pounds. The interception followed an eight-week investigation into the man's fare evasion - and he was later offered an out-of-court settlement after admitting to all offences. The £19,500 figure was arrived at following the investigation by SWR which pieced together all the times he had travelled on incorrect tickets and invalid discounts. Fare evasion cases can sometimes conclude with passengers using lawyers to negotiate an out of court settlement with the train company in an attempt to avoid a damaging criminal conviction. The SWR fraud team had access to the man's full travel history so they were able to calculate how much he owed based on the ticket price and number of journeys not fully paid for, helping them determine his offending was prolific. They could see from the data that the man purchased two tickets per day, applying a 16-17 Saver Railcard, which gives a 50 per cent discount he was not entitled to. The video shows how the man was spotted travelling on the train by some members of the team, before others waited on the platform at Waterloo to intercept him. The team approached him, with one of them asking: 'Can I see your ticket, the one you just had there? So where have you travelled from today?' He replied: 'Er, from **** today, well **** this morning, sorry.' The stations mentioned by the man were bleeped out of the programme. The investigator then said: 'Why do you have a Vauxhall to Waterloo ticket?' And the man responded: 'Er, just because I didn't manage to get one in time, so just one to get through the barrier.' He was also then asked whether he had a 16-17 Saver Railcard, and the passenger admitted he did not. The investigator continued: 'So what I'm going to do, I'm going to give you a caution and I'm going to ask you some questions, yeah? 'So you do not have to say anything, but anything you do not say might harm your defence if you do not mention it when questioned, when you later rely on it in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Do you understand the caution?' The man said 'yes'. He will later be invited into a second interview, when he can bring legal representation if he wishes and the facts of the case will be presented. Asked why he bought the wrong ticket, he said: 'Just because I didn't get one this morning. It didn't have barriers at the end. There's not always a service at ****. 'Sometimes I get on at ***. Then I tried to find the guy, but it was a very packed train. In fairness, I should have got one from the same train station I got on at. it's just expensive to do so.' The investigator later told viewers that the interception followed an eight-week investigation, and was 'such a great result'. He added: 'I'm so pleased that the team has managed to catch him. A real team effort, real sense of elation this morning.' Concession cards Another scam sees London Underground passengers avoid paying for journeys by using a genuine concession card registered to someone else. Passengers are using passes which give free off-peak travel to the cardholder, such as the Freedom Pass for the over-60s, but cannot be used by anyone else. In the documentary, one fare dodger is finally caught after he avoided paying for more than 200 journeys using a card registered to a female relative. A team of Transport for London investigators called Tracey, Sarah and Dan tell the passenger that 'the game's up' after apprehending him at Preston Road station. They had been investigating the man's misuse of a high-value travel pass which gives free off-peak travel to the cardholder but cannot be used by anyone else. Video footage shows the man initially denying he has the pass on him. But the team provide a CCTV still of him walking through a station, adding that they have 'done an investigation on you' and 'know you're committing offences'. The investigators used a sophisticated detection system called the Irregular Travel Analysis Platform (Itap), which processes ticketing and passenger data. They traced the number of the card to its registered owner and tracked the journeys from the card, building up a clear picture of the movements of the man. Intelligence was also provided by revenue protection teams at ticket barriers – and they then identified and tracked him down at the station he regularly leaves from. The man was questioned in a clip taken from the documentary which showed the moment he was spotted on the platform and then followed up the station's stairs. One investigator is heard saying: 'Alright there, TfL revenue control, can I see your pass?' He showed one pass but then the team demanded to see another in a yellow wallet which they saw he had put in his pocket – although he denied it was there. The man, who said he had travelled from Moorgate, told the investigators: 'Which pass? I don't have any pass? Only my card.' An investigator then told him: 'Come on, stop messing around, we've had this already.' The man says: 'I'm not messing.' Another added: 'We know you have it because when you came up, I stopped you and I approached you, and you had a yellow wallet on it.' The third investigator then says: 'OK, game's up, show the pass, we know who it belongs to. We've done an investigation on you, we know you've got the pass on you.' Pointing to a photo of a woman, he adds: 'The lady that owns the pass, OK, is that lady there. Who is it?' When the man replies 'I don't know who is it' [sic], the investigator continues: 'It don't need to be a big massive thing, but you do need to deal with it. 'We can deal with you without even you showing the pass if you want, because we know you're committing offences on Transport for London services. 'So you either comply with us and you take part in this investigation and the interview, yeah? Or we just go ahead, we call up the police, British Transport Police, they come down here and they nick you for fraud. 'Which way do you want it to be? So you deal with me, because I work for Transport for London, or you deal with the police. Which way do you want it?' Producers said the man's case was passed on to prosecutors to claw back more than £1,000 in unpaid fares.
The Herald
16-05-2025
- The Herald
One man shot dead, another injured during attempted CIT heist
A robbery suspect was killed and another injured during an attempted cash in transit robbery near White River in Mpumalanga on Thursday afternoon. Police spokesperson Brig Donald Mdhluli said the suspects were shot by security guards while attempting to carry out their mission. 'Preliminary reports indicate that an unidentified number of suspects were involved in the armed group that attacked a cash van, in an apparent attempt to rob the guards, but fled the scene during a shoot-out with the security personnel,' Mdhluli said. One of the alleged suspects succumbed to his injuries at the scene, while another suspect sustained injuries and is receiving medical attention under police guard. Two rifles were recovered at the scene, while a Ford Ranger reportedly used by the suspects was later found abandoned in Swalala near Masoyi. 'It is important to note that, according to our initial investigations, no money was stolen during this attempted robbery.' Mdhluli said the surviving suspect is expected to appear in court soon. TimesLIVE
