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Irish Rail says security has been increased in response to anti-social behaviour

Irish Rail says it has increased security to deal with a growing number of attacks on trains - bu...
Newstalk
Newstalk

10.02 18 Jun 2018


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Irish Rail says security has b...

Irish Rail says security has been increased in response to anti-social behaviour

Newstalk
Newstalk

10.02 18 Jun 2018


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Irish Rail says it has increased security to deal with a growing number of attacks on trains - but the rail company has stopped short of calling for a dedicated transport police.

It comes after the National Bus and Rail Workers' Union (NBRU) argued that a dedicated police is necessary, after more than a thousand recorded disturbances on trains since the start of last year.

The incidents range from 'general aggressive behaviour', to fighting, criminal damage and attacks on staff.

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However, Irish Rail spokesperson Barry Kenny says they have beefed up their safety measures in response to recent increases.

Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, he observed: "Society has a problem with anti-social behaviour. I don't think it disproportionately affects us - but obviously the issue when you're on a train or other modes of transport... when you're in a confined space... it is very alarming for both customers and employees who are exposed to it.

"We have 22% more security patrols, and we work very closely with the gardaí themselves in terms of where we have recurring issues."

Mr Kenny added: "We have 45.5 million journeys every year - the vast, vast majority of them occur without any incident, and our job is to make sure that the incidents that do occur are reduced."


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