Terrorism laws used on train spotters

10:13am Wednesday 7th January 2009

Comments (14)   Have your say »

By Rob Merrick »

THOUSANDS of train spotters are being quizzed as potential terrorists at railway stations across the region, it was revealed yesterday.

Police are accusing enthusiasts of carrying out reconnaissance for a terror attack when they are simply noting down serial numbers and taking photographs of carriages, the Liberal Democrats claimed.

A total of 7,031 people were questioned under antiterrorism powers in 12 months at railway stations in the North-East, according to official figures.

Another 4,039 were targeted using separate “stop and search” (or reasonable grounds) legislation, a further 2,155 under “stop and account”

laws, and 32 using the Criminal Justice Act – taking the total to 13,257.

Last night, Lib Dem transport spokesman Norman Baker condemned the crackdown as “a worrying sign that we are sliding towards a police state”.

Across the country, British Transport Police quizzed nearly 160,000 people on railway property in the year to last September, including more than 60,000 as potential terrorists.

Mr Baker said: “While it is important to be vigilant about the threat of terrorism to the transport network, the sheer scale of the number of people stopped by police on railway property is ridiculous.

“The anti-terror laws allow officers to stop people for taking photographs, and I know this has led to innocent train spotters being stopped.

“Train spotting may be an activity of limited, and indeed questionable, appeal, but it is not a criminal offence and it is not a terrorist threat.”

Section 44 of the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2000 gives police the power to search any person in any area designated by the Home Secretary, including railway stations.

The Act was deployed against 82-year-old Walter Wolfgang when he made an anti-war protest during the Labour Party conference in 2005.

People can also be stopped under the 1984 Police and Criminal Evidence Act – if there are reasonable grounds to suspect unlawful possession of items – under “stop and account” laws, and searched for weapons under the 1994 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act.

British Transport Police were unable to give Mr Baker specific figures for the numbers of railway enthusiasts included in the statistics.

Instead, Chief Constable Ian Johnston said that “clear guidance” had been issued to officers “in response to the increased concern among some railway enthusiasts”.

Recently, Philip Haigh, the business editor of Rail magazine, described the bullying of train spotters on railway platforms as “a problem that doesn’t ever seem to go away”.

He said: “We get complaints from railway photographers all the time that they are told to stop what they are doing, mainly by railway staff but also by the police.

“It usually results in an apologetic letter from a rail company.”

Train spotter 'terrorists'

Terrorism Act 7,031
Stop and account 2,155
Reasonable grounds 4,039
Criminal Justice Act 32
TOTAL 13,257