Could We Soon See Airport Type Security Introduced In Our Railway Stations?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11824056/France-terror-attack-EU-considers-passenger-scanners-for-British-railway-stations.html

[sp1814]

According to your link, yes:

"For the first time, Brussels officials are drawing up plans to create common EU rules on railway security. At the moment it is a national competence."

Although I would have thought the London Underground were a much more likely target (precedent and all that).

[ToraToraTora]

I hope not, the terrorists win if we make our own lives unbearable.

[Cloverjo]

I don't know. I hope not, but how much security do we need? This summer my friend was detained at a sporting venue because she had a pepper spray in her bag. She had no intention of using it, of course. It was something she carried around to help her feeling of safety. Her husband could easily have carried it in in his shirt pocket, but men are not searched unless they are carrying a bag.
I don't want searches everywhere I go. I don't like being searched if I go to an art gallery eg, I don't want to be searched when I drop my son off at a railway station. Anyone could do anything anywhere else so why do we need to inconvenience everyone when they're going to work, play or whatever?

[anotheoldgit]

Cloverjo

/// This summer my friend was detained at a sporting venue because she had a pepper spray in her bag. ///

Surely it is illegal in the UK to carry a pepper spray?

/// I don't want searches everywhere I go. I don't like being searched if I go to an art gallery eg, I don't want to be searched when I drop my son off at a railway station. Anyone could do anything anywhere else so why do we need to inconvenience everyone when they're going to work, play or whatever? ///

I agree, we have seen many terrorist attacks carried out in Shopping Malls, surely we don't want to see such security methods introduced in them?

[rockyracoon]

It's not an attractive way of life is it? The trouble is, if there is a terrorist attack that could have been avoided by searches there will be merry hell to pay for the authorities.

[anotheoldgit]

Exactly, you are dammed if you do and dammed if you don't.

[youngmafbog]

If we dont take action like ignoring the right-on brigade. getting out of the EU, amending the HRA and banging up subversives or throwing them into ISIS where they want to go then the answer is 'yes'.

[Buenchico]

There would be some massive practical problems with using airport-style security measures at inter-city stations. For example, the small station in the town where I live is unstaffed (as are quite a few stations along the route it lies upon), so body scanners wouldn't be practical here. However the stations at either end of the line are classed as 'inter-city', so I can catch a local train here and then arrive at an inter-city station (and hence board a mainline train to London) without the need to pass through the entrance area of an inter-city station. Knowing the layout of those major stations, I can't see anywhere that screening facilities for passengers arriving on local trains (rather than entering the station from the street) could be introduced.

Even where there are already security scans at mainline stations, they seem to be there as a 'confidence building measure' for the public, rather than being genuinely effective. Nearly 2000 people were killed or injured by the attacks on the Spanish train system in 2004, so it's probably unsurprising that there are long queues for the stringent security checks if you want to board an inter-city train at Madrid's Atocha station. However you can't even join those queues until you've passed through a packed concourse (which would be a target for a terrorist attack in itself) and there are no checks whatsoever on passengers boarding local trains or Metro services.

[andy-hughes]

I think cameras in every carriage would be a great idea - that may cut down the instances of bad behaviour that plague some of our trains.

Otherwise, I think the logistics simply prevent airport-style security which has been gradually introduced over a number of years. Add to that the difference in traffic volumes, and the lack of custom-built premises and facilities, and the whole idea becomes unworkable both in practical, and financial terms.

[andy-hughes]

Cloverjo - "This summer my friend was detained at a sporting venue because she had a pepper spray in her bag. She had no intention of using it, of course."

Then why carry it?

The same argument could be extended to a revolver - carrying those is illegal as well - for the same reason - if you are not carrying an offensive weapon, you can't use it, if you can, and 'don't intend to use it' - you still can.

[youngmafbog]

There are cameras in all the carriages round here.

Didnt stop the commuter fights at 7:00 in the morning though, neither did it stop Harolds getting on.

[mikey4444]

The logistics of trying to make our railway system safe is next to impossible.

To use the Tube as an example.....It has 270 stations and 250 miles of track. It carried 1.265 billion passengers in 2013-2014. How on earth are we supposed to make that secure ?

[Old_Geezer]

As something to be used on all pasengers it is a total nonsense for the reasons folk give above. Clearly has to be a filler scare story.

[RATTER15]

And as always, the biggest threat! this bloody "religion of peace"!

[ummmm]

It would cause mayhem.

[douglas9401]

No, we could not soon see airport type security introduced in our railway stations.
Who is going to turn up three hours early to be prodded along by surly lumpen drones who should never have been employed in a customer related position in the first place?
If any politician was to consider this nonsense it would at least give a boost to car sales as travellers moved from potential terrorists on trains to potential suicide car bombers.
Farcical and fanciful rubbish.