'Undercover' PC Damian Groves dodged train fares

[reb0118]

Rather like asking the driver if HE has a ticket!

Off topic I know but an agency employee acting for ScotRail demanded to see a ticket from the driver of the 16:00 GNER Edinburgh to London service. The said driver refused (tbf he was a bolshy sod and was in a state of undress - no tie, no jacket, no name badge &c..) and in turn was himself refused access to the platform. Cue a circa 10 mins delay.

 

[sprunt]

TFL travel is under different arrangements and remains free for all Met officers and also Special Constables.

Is this kind of local arrangement commonplace? I have a friend who's in Greater Manchester Police, and he has free Metrolink travel.

 

[takno]

Off topic I know but an agency employee acting for ScotRail demanded to see a ticket from the driver of the 16:00 GNER Edinburgh to London service. The said driver refused (tbf he was a bolshy sod and was in a state of undress - no tie, no jacket, no name badge &c..) and in turn was himself refused access to the platform. Cue a circa 10 mins delay.

Aren't the LNER platforms supposed to be ungated? Scotrail are normally pretty good about keeping their revenue blocks away from everybody else's trains

 

[Esker-pades]

Aren't the LNER platforms supposed to be ungated? Scotrail are normally pretty good about keeping their revenue blocks away from everybody else's trains

The reference to GNER suggests that this was quite a number of years ago.

 

[Bensonby]

Is this kind of local arrangement commonplace? I have a friend who's in Greater Manchester Police, and he has free Metrolink travel.

I know of it for some PTE areas and their local forces - so relatively common. The TFL concession is “a gift of the mayor” so we are told. The ATOC/RDG scheme is paid for:I understand that it was initially paid for by the Met itself until 2011 and the cuts started to bite and they couldn’t justify covering the cost themselves apparently.

 

[boxy321]

I have been asked for my pass by LT revenue many years ago when working as a guard on the Northern line (doh )



Used to be exactly the same when I worked in an all night transport caff, many moons ago, police were always welcome for a cuppa and a midnight snack, this ensured a quick response the couple of times we needed them.

I worked on the M40 at a 24 hour services years ago. The Police paid for nothing food-wise but my god they were quick to attend an armed robbery once! There was a lot of cash in a remote location.

 

[Bodiddly]

Agreed. Actually come to think of it, if a Freight Train Driver is travelling off duty by train (and therefore has had to buy a full price ticket as they do not get any travel facilities) are they really duty bound to assist in an emergency? Obviously in reality you'd have to be a bit of an a******e not to (unless you'd consumed alcohol).

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/l...ack-put-man-back-in-jail-hours-after-release/


Passengers were forced to tackle a violent offender after he attacked a train conductor just hours after his early release from prison.


Scott Miller, 29, drunkenly turned on the female ScotRail employee as he made his way to his mother’s home in Inverness.


He had served just a quarter of a near 18-month sentence for assault, despite having used a knife to severely injure his victim.


Perth Sheriff Court heard that he had become unpleasant to steward Aileen Scott, 42, during the journey north and had attacked her, to the horror of others on the train.


He had been warned about his behaviour but continued to shout and swear at her, before lunging at Ms Scott and grabbing her by the throat.


“Other passengers were sufficiently shocked that they took hold of the accused, restrained him and put him to the ground,” said depute fiscal Robbie Brown.


“When the train arrived in Pitlochry, it was met by the police and he was apprehended.”


Miller, of Warwick, East Kilbride, admitted attacking Ms Scott on the train on November 18 by grabbing her by the throat to her injury.


Defence solicitor Sandy Morrison said his client accepted he had committed “a fairly spectacular breach of his licence” and was “disgusted” with his behaviour.


Sheriff Marion McDonald sentenced him to a total of 12 months, eight months of the earlier, unexpired sentence and four months for the train incident.


One of the passengers who restrained him was an off duty driver who was heading to Inverness to drive the sleeper South. I spoke to him about the incident and he told me he didn't have to intervene but after this toerag attacked the steward he couldn't help himself!

 

[sarahj]

I have no problem if someone shows me an ID. I've back up from many. But a few years ago, some were taking the mick, with some sitting in first class and a colleague telling me that he even had one with his wife and kids sit in first and showed only his police ID. There then was a bit of a crackdown with police themselves going through certain trains that were known for first class use and from what I heard a few lot their jobs, or got into trouble and it all calmed down. Mind my trains don't have first class, but I've not heard any comments from others.