Man arrested for using plug socket on Overground train

[Tetchytyke]

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/lond...-overground-trains-power-socket-10384137.html

An artist has criticised transport police after he was arrested for using a plug on a London Overground train to charge his iPhone.

Robin Lee was handcuffed and bundled into a police van after using the power socket on a train from Hackney Wick to Camden Road on Friday, July 10.

The 45-year-old, who lives in Islington, said the whole episode was "ridiculous" and was first confronted on the train by a police community supported officer who said he taking the electricity illegal.

He was arrested on the platform after getting off at Camden Road.

"She said I'm abstracting electricity," he said.

"She was quite aggressive about it and kept saying it's a crime.

"We were just coming into the station, and there happened to be about four police officers on the platform.

"She called to them and said 'This guy's been abstracting electricity, he needs to be arrested.'"

Mr Lee says he tried to push past the officers but was handcuffed on the platform, taken down the stairs and put into a van.

He was taken to the British Transport Police (BTP) base in Caledonian Road, Islington, before he was de-arrested.

"I was just incredulous," he said.

"It was an overzealous community support officer.

"They should never have arrested me, they knew it was ridiculous. The whole thing was just ridiculous."

A BTP spokesman said: “We were called to Camden Road London Overground station on Friday, July 10, to a report of a man becoming aggressive when challenged by a PCSO about his use of a plug socket onboard an Overground train.

“Shortly after 3.30pm, a 45-year-old man from Islington was arrested on suspicion of abstracting electricity, for which he was de-arrested shortly after.

“He was further arrested for unacceptable behaviour and has been reported for this offence.”

The spokesman added they will review the behaviour deemed unacceptable before passing the details to the Crown Prosecution Service who will decide where charges should be brought against Mr Lee.

A Transport for London spokeswoman said onboard London Overground trains, signs near the plug points state they are for "cleaners use only and not for public use".

I'm glad that the BTP have completely eradicated the anti-social behaviour and begging problems on the Overground, because now they have the time to sort this sort of stuff out.

(I'll let someone else comment on the atrocious spelling...the Evening Boris living down to its standards again).

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'm glad that the BTP have completely eradicated the anti-social behaviour and begging problems on the Overground, because now they have the time to sort this sort of stuff out.

My reading of that suggests it may have gone a bit like this, as such things often do:

1. Person uses plug marked "not for public use".

2. PCSO sees it and tells him to pack it in.

3. He refuses and gets abusive, thereby failing the "attitude test".

4. PCSO finds a way to get him arrested because of (3).

 

[Matt Taylor]

This is less to do with using a power socket and more to do with his subsequent behaviour:

"Mr Lee says he tried to push past the officers but was handcuffed on the platform"

That's the key sentence in the whole article, I suspect he did a little more than just push past the officers otherwise they would not have felt the need to restrain him with handcuffs.

 

[yorkie]

Given that you can be barked at for not using a smart/contactless card, I am not entirely surprised. LO don't appear to like people to have the sort of comforts that other mainline passengers have. Let's hope they don't take over any routes that have trains with power sockets as they might stick labels over them threatening prosecution!

Barging past officers was a bad idea, and that is surely what got him arrested. He should have been politely asked to unplug the device, and then he probably would have complied. It sounds like an over-reaction which caused the situation to escalate. If I behaved that way I'd not expect to last long in my job.

 

[HH]

The guy knew what he was doing and knew he shouldn't have been doing it. At such times it's best simply to say, "Yes Officer". Better to use the brain than the mouth...

 

[Bletchleyite]

Barging past officers was a bad idea, and that is surely what got him arrested. He should have been politely asked to unplug the device, and then he probably would have complied.

To be fair to the PCSO involved, the article doesn't say that he didn't politely ask him to unplug the device, which may have been met by refusal and further escalation of the situation.

 

[carriageline]

As usual it's a very one sided article (understandably), so it's a complete non story. The 'artist' won't make him self look a fool and admit if he was in the wrong, nor if the Officer asked properly . That wouldn't make a good story now would it. It's a shame the socket didn't damage his phone

This is probably one of the many baffoons that record all encounters with the police, and thus quote the 'book of law' religiously, trying to be a smart alec.

 

[NSEFAN]

I don't see what the fuss is all about. Those "not for public use" sockets are self-policing. When the train slows down, the regen causes the voltage to ramp up and stress test your charger. It's almost an urban sport!

 

[455driver]

Given that you can be barked at for not using a smart/contactless card, I am not entirely surprised. LO don't appear to like people to have the sort of comforts that other mainline passengers have. Let's hope they don't take over any routes that have trains with power sockets as they might stick labels over them threatening prosecution!

Barging past officers was a bad idea, and that is surely what got him arrested. He should have been politely asked to unplug the device, and then he probably would have complied. It sounds like an over-reaction which caused the situation to escalate. If I behaved that way I'd not expect to last long in my job.

But what if he tells the PCSO to eff off?
I wonder what he was actually arrested for?

My spidy sense tells me it wasn't for using the socket/extracting electrikery!

 

[Clip]

Given that you can be barked at for not using a smart/contactless card, I am not entirely surprised. LO don't appear to like people to have the sort of comforts that other mainline passengers have. Let's hope they don't take over any routes that have trains with power sockets as they might stick labels over them threatening prosecution!

Barging past officers was a bad idea, and that is surely what got him arrested. He should have been politely asked to unplug the device, and then he probably would have complied. It sounds like an over-reaction which caused the situation to escalate. If I behaved that way I'd not expect to last long in my job.

IIRC there are already stickers on there telling people not to use them - are you saying that really they should?

And this is a main problem of the forum as you have a couple of people already having a go at LO for this incident where we only have one side of the whole story including the bit where he tried to barge past police officers yet he must be believed and the railway is wrong!! Amazing.

 

[Wolfie]

My reading of that suggests it may have gone a bit like this, as such things often do:

1. Person uses plug marked "not for public use".

2. PCSO sees it and tells him to pack it in.

3. He refuses and gets abusive, thereby failing the "attitude test".

4. PCSO finds a way to get him arrested because of (3).

While I'm not defending the artist it's hardly the crime of the centrury and most PCSOs are, at best, muppets! I think though the artist most likely got arrested for, as he said himself, pushing past 4 PCs...

As for PCSOs and the attitude test, perhaps said muppet should get a real job!

My ex's brother is a DC in the Met. He never had a good word to say about PCSOs ("wannabes" was one usual comment) and called them "Reliant Robins" (which was their street name apparently - think about the most common nickname for those vehicles).

 

[infobleep]

I think yorkie is saying there should be plug sockets for passengers to use.

Ones where they can use the electricity legally.

I suspect the bloke got abusive. He should have remained civil at all times to avoid being arrested.

Due to lack of plug sockets on most trains, I carry round a battery charger. That avoids the problem..

I wonder if anyone would tell someone off for using a device other than a laptop or mobile on one of South West Trains 444s, which does have plug sockets for public use? The notice only says you can use laptops or mobile phones. If someone used a tablet then theoretically I guess they could be told to unplug it. I can't see it actually happening mind you.

But what happens if the tablet van make phone calls?

If it was a portable DVD player that would be more clear cut. I know it's all hypothetical.

 

[JaJaWa]

I've was about to plug a laptop into a "not for public use" socket on an Abellio Greater Anglia train recently, when the guard appeared behind me. I asked him if it was ok to do so, and he said "yes, but the reason they say that is that the output may be variable, however you are perfectly welcome to take the risk"...

 

[Wolfie]

I don't see what the fuss is all about. Those "not for public use" sockets are self-policing. When the train slows down, the regen causes the voltage to ramp up and stress test your charger. It's almost an urban sport!

Indeed. I strongly suspect the "not for public use" signs are to advise litigation over fried phones (given the sign any complaint would be laughed out of Court) not due to electricity abstraction concerns.

 

[TheNewNo2]

While I'm not defending the artist it's hardly the crime of the centrury and most PCSOs are, at best, muppets! I think though the artist most likely got arrested for, as he said himself, pushing past 4 PCs...

As for PCSOs and the attitude test, perhaps said muppet should get a real job!

My ex's brother is a DC in the Met. He never had a good word to say about PCSOs ("wannabes" was one usual comment) and called them "Reliant Robins" (which was their street name apparently - think about the most common nickname for those vehicles).

Ah, it reminds me of Mitchell and Webb... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwYxkZ9jTvk

 

[Deepgreen]

I don't see what the fuss is all about. Those "not for public use" sockets are self-policing. When the train slows down, the regen causes the voltage to ramp up and stress test your charger. It's almost an urban sport!

"Slows down"...! This is LO we're talking about - hard to slow down much from the standard crawl!

 

[Starmill]

I make no excuses for this bloke, but I suspect it's symptomatic of a broader point about quality which is so often overlooked by people in the railway industry. People are now coming to expect a seat, free wifi and a socket on their train. Changes in consumer technology now mean people are needing power for mobile devices more than ever before. Local trains in Scotland have sockets for around half of seats and free wifi for all. Can't you manage that In London?

All over the country, Arriva are rolling out buses with these amenities for goodness sake. Get with the modern world!

 

[notadriver]

I can ever see tube style trains (which is what a 378 essentially is) ever having that facility. I can understand on longer distance trains with conventional seating arrangements.

I was once waiting for my train at the end of the platform at the point where it says 'public access prohibited beyond this point'. A passenger approached me and I didn't move as I assumed he would stop. 'I want to see where the train is going' he declared. I told him he wasn't allowed past this point - his reply was 'try and stop me' and pushed me out the way and half way down the platform ramp. He then proceeded to board my train. I was tempted to have him ejected but ... I didn't.

 

[Clip]

I make no excuses for this bloke, but I suspect it's symptomatic of a broader point about quality which is so often overlooked by people in the railway industry. People are now coming to expect a seat, free wifi and a socket on their train. Changes in consumer technology now mean people are needing power for mobile devices more than ever before. Local trains in Scotland have sockets for around half of seats and free wifi for all. Can't you manage that In London?

All over the country, Arriva are rolling out buses with these amenities for goodness sake. Get with the modern world!

Why would anyone need a plug socket for a max 30 minute trip? Given the design of LO interiors providing such things as sockets would then bring other risks into play like trip hazards from people having their cables all over the place.

I could and do often ask - why do people need to be on their phones all the bloody time? You cant answer - what about work because you simply don't have to do work either. Keep it in your pocket sometimes and maybe just read a book.

 

[theageofthetra]

I think the main issue with passengers using these sockets is the trip hazard the trailing lead creates. I have seen someone go over due to some idiot plugging a laptop charger in to the socket on a 465.

 

[A-driver]

Simple reason those plugs say not for public use is that the company won't take responsibility for any damage the power supply causes. There are a few drivers at work who have knackered their phones by charging them on 313/365s whilst running empty.

As for the signs saying plugs are only for laptops and phones this of course permits all variants of those devices. It's to stop people using them for hair straighteners, hair dryers, microwaves etc which will annoy other passengers and could be dangerous.

 

[transmanche]

As for the signs saying plugs are only for laptops and phones this of course permits all variants of those devices. It's to stop people using them for hair straighteners, hair dryers, microwaves etc which will annoy other passengers and could be dangerous.

And of course, those devices draw a lot more power than a laptop/phone...

 

[DarloRich]

Given that you can be barked at for not using a smart/contactless card, I am not entirely surprised. LO don't appear to like people to have the sort of comforts that other mainline passengers have. Let's hope they don't take over any routes that have trains with power sockets as they might stick labels over them threatening prosecution!

Barging past officers was a bad idea, and that is surely what got him arrested. He should have been politely asked to unplug the device, and then he probably would have complied. It sounds like an over-reaction which caused the situation to escalate. If I behaved that way I'd not expect to last long in my job.

or perhaps said individual was, politely, asked to stop using the plug as it may damage his device which resulted in him kicking off and assaulting a police officer which necessitated him taking a trip to the cop shop and ultimately a personal appearance in front of the magistrate?

Why would anyone need a plug socket for a max 30 minute trip? Given the design of LO interiors providing such things as sockets would then bring other risks into play like trip hazards from people having their cables all over the place.

I could and do often ask - why do people need to be on their phones all the bloody time? You cant answer - what about work because you simply don't have to do work either. Keep it in your pocket sometimes and maybe just read a book.

or Kindle. Oh but that needs a charger..............................

I agree - LO trains are unsuitable for things like plug sockets due to their layout, customer loading and journey length.

 

[dosxuk]

He should have been politely asked to unplug the device, and then he probably would have complied.

It would surprise me if he did. People these days can get very angry if you stand between them and the precious power their smartphone needs.

At the events I work at I'm constantly being harassed by security, acts, staff and customers to find them somewhere they can charge up, and don't take it well when given a polite "I'm afraid I can't allow that". It's not unusual to come back from somewhere to find something important has been unplugged so someone can charge their toy, who then get more than a bit annoyed to find it's been unplugged again so we can do our jobs.

Look at the story from last week where someone got out of the audience at a Broadway show to charge his phone on the (fake) socket on the wall of a set.

 

[timbo58]

We used to see this all the time on HSTs before the plug sockets for passenger use were put in.
The sockets in the baggage racks were clearly marked not for public use but I'd actually tripped over (dragging a laptop off the persons lap and onto the floor in the process) a dangling power lead at least a few times when I was a guard.

I remember asking one bloke no less than 3 times not to plug in his mobile before I unplugged it only to return 5 minutes later and find it plugged in again.
I removed the adaptor, gave him the phone back and told him to contact me at paddington for the charger back, he didn't like it at all and got very uppity.

probably the same sort of passenger that I had to call the police to to get them removed from a TGS van when there was no other room to go Newport-Cardiff on FA cup final day, politeness doesn't work all of the time but it should be used in the first and probably the 2nd instance anyway.

 

[sarahj]

You often get a few who dont think the 'not for public use' applies to them. I've unplugged some that have been boiling hot. If someone asks, I might let them use them, but say, beware it will more than likely trash your charger and phone. They are built for someone to use a henry hoover while the train is in a depot, and some of the spikes when on the move are massive. I'd never plug my mobile in one. There is a surge protected socket that can be used on a 377 thats not in first class, but I'm not telling on here where it is, plus its behind a locked cupboard.

You do sometimes find folks sitting in first charging their phone. As if thats a good reason for sitting there with a stnd ticket. As I say to them, if you want to charge your phone, buy a first class ticket. Sometimes using the 377/7 and 378's does make life a bit easier with sockets all over. All I can think is, when its icy and snowing, will it have to be 'plugs out' so we can draw enough current to keep moving. (even turning off the little reading lamps can help on a icy/snowy day)

 

[A-driver]

You often get a few who dont think the 'not for public use' applies to them. I've unplugged some that have been boiling hot. If someone asks, I might let them use them, but say, beware it will more than likely trash your charger and phone. They are built for someone to use a henry hoover while the train is in a depot, and some of the spikes when on the move are massive. I'd never plug my mobile in one. There is a surge protected socket that can be used on a 377 thats not in first class, but I'm not telling on here where it is, plus its behind a locked cupboard.



You do sometimes find folks sitting in first charging their phone. As if thats a good reason for sitting there with a stnd ticket. As I say to them, if you want to charge your phone, buy a first class ticket. Sometimes using the 377/7 and 378's does make life a bit easier with sockets all over. All I can think is, when its icy and snowing, will it have to be 'plugs out' so we can draw enough current to keep moving. (even turning off the little reading lamps can help on a icy/snowy day)

I used to use the surge protected socket in 377 cupboard to charge my phone and every time I did I had to leg it back to the platform from the messroom to catch the train before it departed again as I had left my phone charging in locked cupboard!

 

[sarahj]

I used to use the surge protected socket in 377 cupboard to charge my phone and every time I did I had to leg it back to the platform from the messroom to catch the train before it departed again as I had left my phone charging in locked cupboard!

Yes, that can happen. Doh!!!!!

 

[Antman]

While I'm not defending the artist it's hardly the crime of the centrury and most PCSOs are, at best, muppets! I think though the artist most likely got arrested for, as he said himself, pushing past 4 PCs...

As for PCSOs and the attitude test, perhaps said muppet should get a real job!

My ex's brother is a DC in the Met. He never had a good word to say about PCSOs ("wannabes" was one usual comment) and called them "Reliant Robins" (which was their street name apparently - think about the most common nickname for those vehicles).

A copper I know has a similar opinion about most PCSO's.............which apparently stands for "Please Come Soon Officer" as they are unable to deal with anything themselves.

I did read something about this incident on social media and assumed that there must be a bit more to it?

 

[thenorthern]

Its not just on the trains I have seen people plug their phones into power sockets at stations marked "not for public use as well".

I think we will see more USB charger sockets on trains in the near future given the demand.

The main hazzard of course is trip hazzards but as most of the not for public use sockets are used for cleaning equipment which draws far more power than phone chargers and thus if there is a fault with someone's phone charger the RCD switch is less likely to trip thus causing a bigger hazzard.