Rail Users Ireland Forum

Go Back   Rail Users Ireland Forum > General Information & Discussion > Events, Happenings and Media
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Unread 20-07-2015, 14:50   #1
Mark Gleeson
Technical Officer
 
Mark Gleeson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Coach C, Seat 33
Posts: 12,669
Default [article] Dart delayed after brawl breaks out in carriage

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news...-31389293.html

Quote:
The Dart was delayed last night for 35 minutes after a fight broke out on one of the carriages.

The incident occurred at around 9:30pm last night at the Salthill and Monkstown station.
Caught on twitter https://twitter.com/ChristineBohan/s...72747979468802

Last edited by Mark Gleeson : 20-07-2015 at 14:58.
Mark Gleeson is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 20-07-2015, 16:37   #2
Traincustomer
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: ar an traein
Posts: 600
Default

Being discussed on the Last Word now.

+ 1 for a dedicated Garda Public Transport unit.

Last edited by Traincustomer : 20-07-2015 at 16:49.
Traincustomer is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 21-07-2015, 06:33   #3
James Howard
Really Really Regluar Poster
 
James Howard's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Sligo Line
Posts: 1,115
Default

I'm not so sure if a dedicated transport unit is the answer in Ireland given how thinly spread they would be. The British Transport Police is a quarter the size of entire Garda. At best we'd be talking about a couple of hundred officers with maybe 40 or 50 on duty for the entire country at any one time given the proportional size of our police serices. If Dublin has half of these, then a response to an issue in Maynooth is hardly going to be any quicker than if it was using the general force.

What needs to happen is a better prioritisation for response time for public transport issues among the general police force. Perhaps it might also be worth considering allowing for a higher qualification level for some private security that would grant them the right to detain offenders on a train to allow the train to continue while the security guard remains with them. This should be safe enough from a civil liberties perspective given the level of CCTV coverage on trains and in stations and the officers themselves could be issue with body cameras.

But the real issue is that people are not being punished for this kind of behaviour. No arrests were made despite the fact that drinking is supposed to be banned on the DART system and this would also seem to be a textbook case of drunk and disorderly. What is the point of banning drinking on trains when the only person who obeys the law is the proverbial little old lady with her quarter bottle of white wine.
James Howard is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 21-07-2015, 07:50   #4
Mark Gleeson
Technical Officer
 
Mark Gleeson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Coach C, Seat 33
Posts: 12,669
Default

In the Dublin area there is certainly justification for a transport police.

Far too often the garda response time to incidents has been excessive, the Ashtown incident with the fare evader with a history of violence is a case in point no garda was available to attend and the train had to be taken out of service causing great disruption and diverted to docklands where the gardai showed up.

As Irish Rail security is subcontracted they have none of the powers (and protections) an Irish Rail employee has under the bye laws, transport acts and rail safety act.

Punishment is fairly easy, fine per bye law, court order to ban off all trains for 5 years and file a civil claim for cost of disruption/damage

That said it would be much simpler if staff at Bray, Connolly and elsewhere enforced some order and turned people away carrying alcohol or who have forgotten their clothes
Mark Gleeson is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 21-07-2015, 09:00   #5
James Howard
Really Really Regluar Poster
 
James Howard's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Sligo Line
Posts: 1,115
Default

The fact is that it is pretty complicated to set up a transport police unit and you'd probably end up with a worse service in the end as the regular guards would just wash their hands of everything to do with transport and the whole thing would descend into a mess of turf wars. If the guards don't want a transport police (and the evidence suggests they don't), then organisationally they will drag their heels on supporting it if it is rammed through. A transport police force of about 300 (based on the proportional size of the BTP relative to UK police numbers), is simply too small to cover the entire country and operate as a viable unit.

A public transport unit operated within the garda would probably end up a lot more efficient as it would need a lot less management (no need for IT, HR, training officers), etc.

It would be a lot simpler, cheaper and quicker to either give STT security the powers of an Irish Rail employee or just take the security back in-house.

I agree 100% with the last point. Irish Rail staff at Connolly do have an awful habit of looking the other way as some of the rougher elements go through the station - I guess they fancy making it home for the evening rather than ending up in the Mater. I would say that there is one particular STT employee who patrols the concourse at Connolly that seems to be pretty effective.
James Howard is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 21-07-2015, 21:53   #6
markpb
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 541
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson View Post
As Irish Rail security is subcontracted they have none of the powers (and protections) an Irish Rail employee has under the bye laws, transport acts and rail safety act.
Really? I can't find anything in the transport acts to back that up. They only mention officers appointed by the board, there's no reference to employees.
markpb is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 22-07-2015, 10:41   #7
Mark Gleeson
Technical Officer
 
Mark Gleeson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Coach C, Seat 33
Posts: 12,669
Default

Ask an RPU staff member and they will show you their authorisation from the board.

Its a small leather pouch with a brass warrant
Mark Gleeson is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 08:39.


Powered by vBulletin
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.