Transit police

Last updated
New Jersey Transit Police Department officers at Hoboken Terminal in Hoboken, New Jersey NJTPD K-9 and Lieutenant.jpg
New Jersey Transit Police Department officers at Hoboken Terminal in Hoboken, New Jersey

Transit police (also known as transport police, railway police, railroad police and several other terms) are specialized police agencies employed either by a common carrier, such as a transit district, railway, railroad, bus line, or another mass transit provider or municipality, county, district, or state.

Contents

Transit law enforcement services may also be provided by a specialized unit within a larger local law enforcement agency. Their mandate is generally to prevent and investigate all crime committed against the carrier or its passengers and crime incidentally committed on or around the carrier's property.

Type

Autonomous agencies

In Great Britain, British Transport Police have full police powers and are a stand-alone special police force. British Transport Police vehicles.jpg
In Great Britain, British Transport Police have full police powers and are a stand-alone special police force.

A transit police force may consist of officers employed directly by a transit system or by a government agency dedicated to providing specialized law enforcement services. There are numerous instances of both within United States, given the decentralized nature of US law enforcement; examples of larger, stand-alone agencies within the US include the MBTA Police, BART Police, and the New Jersey Transit Police Department. In the United Kingdom, transit law enforcement is provided by a single, nation-wide agency, the British Transport Police, although other law enforcement agencies may assist with this task. Within India, many transit policing services are conducted by the Government Railway Police.

Specialized units of local law enforcement agencies

A patrol vehicle of the Metro Transit police, a division of the King County Sheriff's Office, Washington state, USA. Sound Transit Police.jpg
A patrol vehicle of the Metro Transit police, a division of the King County Sheriff's Office, Washington state, USA.

Other forces may exist as a specialized unit of a local law enforcement agency, such as the United States' Transit Police Services Bureau of the Orange County, California Sheriff's Department (which serves the Orange County Transportation Authority) or the Transit Enforcement Unit of the Phoenix Police Department (assigned to the Phoenix Public Transit Department). [2] Some formerly independent transit police agencies have also been absorbed into (or had their duties assumed by) a larger, local law enforcement agency; Examples include the LACMTA Police's duties being assumed by the LAPD Transit Services Division [3] and the New York City Transit Police being integrated into the NYPD Transit Bureau.

Railroad police

Metro Transit Police Department officers, who hold police powers in Washington, D.C. and two U.S. states, Maryland and Virginia Patch of the Metro Transit Police Department.png
Metro Transit Police Department officers, who hold police powers in Washington, D.C. and two U.S. states, Maryland and Virginia

Where the term "transit police" is used for a law enforcement agency or unit working for a railroad/railway, it usually refers to a railroad providing urban mass transit (such as a city-elevated system or subway) as opposed to long-distance rail carriage.

Law enforcement agencies of both cargo railroads and long-haul rail carriers are usually referred to as "railroad police" or "railway police". There is often considerable overlap in transit police and railroad police agencies’ duties. Railroad police agencies, however, have a long history, and were established separate from and prior to most modern transit police agencies. Transit police and railroad police powers may also be legally defined separately; For example, in the United States, many states have separate laws concerning both types of agencies.

However, in modern times, with increasing overlap in duties and the proliferation of extensive mass transit systems, some jurisdictions have opted for a hybrid model of railroad and transit policing. For instance, in the United Kingdom, most of the rail systems, including the London Underground, are policed by the British Transport Police (BTP). The BTP is a full-service, national law enforcement agency, which essentially combined the duties of dozens of now-defunct transit and railway police agencies into a single entity (the BTP has no authority in Northern Ireland, except in emergencies).

Powers

Some transit police forces have full policing powers, such as the US' BART Police, SEPTA Transit Police, Metro Transit Police Department, Utah Transit Authority Police Department or the MBTA Police. The UK's British Transport Police, also has full police powers within Great Britain. In some areas, transit police agencies have limited or specific powers, and may be classed as special police or special constables, or peace officers with limited powers, such as Canada's Edmonton Transit Peace Officers. [4] Regardless, transit police services nearly always hold more authority than un-sworn, security guard-only services.

Crimes

A "Do Not Trespass" sign on the railway in the United Kingdom Do Not Trespass on the Railway sign - 20071209.jpg
A "Do Not Trespass" sign on the railway in the United Kingdom

Some of the crimes transit police and railroad police investigate include trespassing on the right-of-way of a railroad, assaults against passengers, tagging of graffiti on railroad rolling stock and buses or bus stops, pickpocketing, ticket fraud, robbery and theft of personal belongings, baggage or freight, and drug dealing at transit stations. They may also engage in random ticket checking hoping to catch and fine ticketless travelers. These controls are usually more frequent in transit systems using an honor-based fare collecting approach.

Jurisdiction and authority

In federal states like the United States, Canada, or Australia, federal and state statutes determine the jurisdiction and authority of all police departments, including transit police.

Most transit police services have the same police authority as any other national, state and local police agencies, such as the MBTA Transit Police Department, MARTA (Atlanta) Transit Police, British Transport Police, New Jersey Transit Police Department, BART Police, Maryland Transit Administration Police, DART Police, SEPTA Transit Police, Utah Transit Authority Police Department, and the Metro Vancouver Transit Police (South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service). Some agencies have rather extensive jurisdictions, including traffic enforcement and arrest powers on and off property, for example, the New Jersey Transit Police Department maintains the distinction of being the only transit police agency in the United States with statewide authority.

List of specialised transit/transport police agencies and departments

Australia

New South Wales

Queensland

South Australia

Victoria

Western Australia

Canada

Police forces

Special constables

An Edmonton Transit Peace Officer's Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor in Edmonton, Alberta Parked Peace (6591442753).jpg
An Edmonton Transit Peace Officer's Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor in Edmonton, Alberta

Other large Canadian transit networks use security officers appointed as special constables or peace officers. As special constables, they typically have full police powers when working on transit property to enforce the Criminal Code of Canada, as well as respective Bylaws. Whilst they carry some police equipment, such as a protective vest, baton, handcuffs and pepper spray, they do not carry a firearm. These officers assist local jurisdiction's police officers in investigations of illegal activity on the transit system.

People's Republic of China

Cities in China which have rapid transit systems all have their transit police force associated to the local public security bureau. There are no non-governmental police forces, or police institutes under transit authority. National Rail used to have a police force under the Ministry of Railways, but such authority has since been transferred to local police agencies.[ when? ]

However, the structure of institutions can be vary from city to city. For example, cities like Tianjin and Chengdu might have a joint public transportation force of division level, operates on all the taxis, bus routes, coaches, rapid transit and ferry lines as well as transportation hubs inside city limit; while Chongqing and Xi'an [15] have tighter transit cop brigades focused exclusively on protecting the mass transit lines. Again, all these agencies are supervised by the PSBs of higher level.

Hong Kong

France

Germany

India

The Railway Protection Force is a security force, established by the Railway Protection Force Act, 1957 ; enacted by the Indian Parliament for "the better protection and security of railway property". The force is under the authority of the Ministry of Railways, .

It has the power to search, arrest, investigate and prosecute, though the ultimate power rests in the hands of the Government Railway Police.

The Government Railway Police (IAST: Sarakārī Rēlvē Pulīs), abbreviated as GRP, is the police force of the respective state governments, tasked with policing on railways and their premises. It operates under the respective state police forces. It was established by the Railways Act, 1989 , of the Parliament of India. Its duties correspond to those of the District Police in the areas under their jurisdiction, such as patrolling and prevention and detection of crimes but only on railway property. It is the parent agency of the Railway Protection Force, and aids and provides assistance to it, whose primary duties are to protect and secure all railway property.

The GRP's responsibility is to observe law and order on all railway property. Officers are recruited from the Indian Police Service and State Police Services. The force is under control of the police departments of the various state police departments of India. It liaison with Ministry of Railways, Government of India .


Italy

Latvia

Netherlands

Railway police

Transit enforcement

  • In The Netherlands, all public transport companies providing public service have their own enforcement officers, these officers often have the BOA status (special investigation officer) and limited police powers (use of force, arrest and use of handcuffs) the main task of these officers is fare enforcement and securing the safety of the public and employees within the transport vehicles.
  • The city of Amsterdam, is the only municipality in the Netherlands which operates its own transit enforcement department. The "Veiligheidsteam openbaar vervoer" (Safety team public transport) cooperates with the Amsterdam police in maintaining public order within the public transport, stations an hubs within the city limits, prevent or stop crimes, public assistance, issuing transit information and spotting suspicious behavior. Their uniforms are similar to that of police officers (police style hat, yellow high-visibility jacket and trousers with side striping; the only difference with the uniform of a police officer is that the trouser and hat color are dark grey whereas the police uses navy blue. These enforcement officers are employed by the city, whereas the police officers are employed by the national police. Enforcement officers are equipped with handcuffs and a short police baton and have limited police powers like the use of force, making arrests, detaining people and issuing fines. The city of Amsterdam is currently looking into the possibility to equip the officers with a can of pepperspray; this will probably be in mid 2014.[ needs update ]

Poland

Railway Security Guard  : Armed security forces protecting railway system in Poland

Russian Federation

Main Directorate of the Transport of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. (Главное Управление на Транспорте Министерства Внутренних Дел.)

Singapore

Sweden

Taiwan

United Kingdom

United States

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Transport Police</span> Police force responsible for railways in England, Wales and Scotland

British Transport Police is a national special police force that polices the railway network of England, Wales and Scotland. The force polices more than 10,000 miles of track and more than 3,000 stations and depots.

Railroad police or railway police are people responsible for the protection of railroad properties, facilities, revenue, equipment, and personnel, as well as carried passengers and cargo. Railroad police may also patrol public rail transit systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Security police</span> Law enforcement agencies responsible for protecting specific properties

Security police usually describes a law enforcement agency which focuses primarily on providing security and law enforcement services to particular areas or specific properties. They may be employed by governmental, public, or private institutions. Security police are generally considered distinct from security guards as security police personnel typically hold some level of law enforcement authority. The exact powers held by security police vary widely between jurisdictions. Examples of these types of agencies include the U.S. FBI Police, the Indian Central Industrial Security Force, and the British Civil Nuclear Constabulary.

Special police usually describes a police force or unit within a police force whose duties and responsibilities are significantly different from other forces in the same country or from other police in the same force, although there is no consistent international definition. A special constable, in most cases, is not a member of a special police force (SPF); in countries in the Commonwealth of Nations and often elsewhere, a special constable is a voluntary or part-time member of a national or local police force or a person involved in law enforcement who is not a police officer but has some of the powers of a police officer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department</span>

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department (MTAPD) is the police agency of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transit Enforcement Unit</span> Special constabulary in Ontario, Canada

The Transit Enforcement Unit is a special constabulary maintained by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. First established in 1997, the Unit consists of special constables and provincial offences officers, referred to internally as transit fare inspectors. The unit's special constables have the full powers of a police power on or in relation to TTC property, and, as of 2023, the unit employs 101 special constables out of an authorized complement of 145.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast Harbour Police</span>

The Belfast Harbour Police is a small, specialised ports police force, with responsibility for the Port of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1847, making it the oldest continuously-operating law enforcement agency on the island of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metro Vancouver Transit Police</span> Police force for the Metro Vancouver public transit system in Canada

The Metro Vancouver Transit Police (MVTP), previously the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority Police Service and formally the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority Police Service (SCBCTAPS), is the police force for TransLink, the public transit system of the Metro Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Pacific Kansas City Police Service</span> Private railroad police force

The Canadian Pacific Kansas City Police Service, formerly known as Canadian Pacific Police Service (CPPS) is a private railroad police force enforcing safety and policing along Canadian Pacific Kansas City properties and rail lines in Canada and the United States. It includes limited sections of the Milton line of GO Transit in the Greater Toronto Area, which is being secured by its Transit Safety Officers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Bristol Police</span> British police force

The Port of Bristol Police (PoBP) is a ports police force with responsibility to protect the port complexes and community situated at the mouth of the River Avon on the border between Bristol and Somerset. Officers are attested under powers in legislation derived from the Harbours, Docks and Piers Clauses Act 1847.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tees and Hartlepool Harbour Police</span>

Tees and Hartlepool Harbour Police is a non-Home Office ports police force responsible for Teesport, which is the UK's third largest port and is owned by PD Ports, situated along the south bank of the River Tees in north east England. The harbour police force is over 100 years old and was originally formed under the Harbour, Docks and Piers Clauses Act 1847.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Law enforcement in Canada</span> Overview of law enforcement in Canada

Law enforcement in Canada is the responsibility of police services, special constabularies, and civil law enforcement agencies, which are operated by every level of government, some private and Crown corporations, and First Nations. In contrast to the United States or Mexico, and with the exception of the Unité permanente anticorruption in Quebec and the Organized Crime Agency of British Columbia, there are no organizations dedicated exclusively to the investigation of criminal activity in Canada. Criminal investigations are instead conducted by police services, which maintain specialized criminal investigation units in addition to their mandate for emergency response and general community safety.

Company police, also called private police, are privately paid law enforcement officers who work for private security companies or private military companies rather than a municipal, county, state, or national agency.

There are forty-five local police agencies in Westchester County, New York. As well as other agencies. They are responsible for protecting Westchester County, these agencies frequently work with one another in the surrounding counties. Current economic times has caused a few Westchester municipalities to consider consolidation of police services. The Westchester County Department of Public Safety started providing primary police services for the Town/Village of Mount Kisco in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Private police</span> Law enforcement bodies owned and/or controlled by non-governmental entities

Private police or special police are law enforcement bodies that are owned and/or controlled by non-governmental entities. Additionally, the term can refer to an off-duty police officer while working for a private entity, providing security, or otherwise law enforcement-related services. These officers do have power to uphold the laws under the discretion of the private company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airport police</span>

Airport police units are a security police agency assigned to perform law enforcement functions at airports. They provide a wide range of law enforcement duties and responsibilities including patrol, investigation, traffic flow management, and control and response to airport emergencies. Airport police provide enhanced safety to airport employees, and to passengers. Officers can be found at security gates, throughout the terminal area, and around the airport’s perimeter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special constable</span> Auxiliary or specialized law enforcement officer

A special constable or special police constable can refer to an auxiliary or part-time law enforcement officer or a person who is granted certain (special) police powers.

References

  1. "Transit Police". kingcounty.gov. King County, Washington. 2023.
  2. "Phoenix Police Transit Unit". phoenix.gov. City of Phoenix. 2014.
  3. "Transit Services Division". lapdonline.org. Los Angeles Police Department. 2021. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021.
  4. "Transit Peace Officer Full-time". edmonton.ca. City of Edmonton. 2021. Archived from the original on 17 August 2021.
  5. "Transport Safety". nsw.gov. New South Wales Government. 2009. Archived from the original on 15 May 2009.
  6. "Keeping You Safe and Secure". cityrail.info. New South Wales Government & CityRail. 2009. Archived from the original on 21 October 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  7. "Railway Squad" (PDF). qld.gov. Queensland Police Service. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
  8. "Security personnel". www.queenslandrail.com.au.
  9. "Revenue protection - TransLink". translink.com.au.
  10. "G:et a ticket or G:et a fine!". ridetheg.com.au. 22 May 2023.
  11. "Queensland transport department to spend $60.7 million to improve bus, train safety". abc.com.au. 23 January 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  12. "Safety & Security". Translink. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  13. "South Australia Police :: Transit Services Branch :: SAPOL". Archived from the original on 2011-05-24. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
  14. "Victoria Police - Transit Safety Division". Archived from the original on 2011-08-09. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
  15. "西安市公安局地铁分局挂牌成立". 陕西省人民政府. 2011-08-02. Retrieved 2011-08-22.
  16. "RPF renamed as Indian Railway Protection Force Service". Deccan Herald. December 31, 2019.
  17. "Shri Piyush Goyal launches new Establishment Manual for RPF Minister of Railways and Commerce and Industry announces a new state of the art commando training centre to be established in Jagadhri, Haryana". pib.gov.in. 19 February 2020.
  18. "Tätt samarbete i Stockholms undre värld" (in Swedish). Swedish Police Union. 2007-06-18. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  19. section 5, Belfast Harbour Act 1847.
  20. "Port of Felixstowe :: Page Not Found". www.portoffelixstowe.co.uk. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011.{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  21. section 3(d), Falmouth Docks Act 1959.
  22. "Safer Transport Teams | the Met | The Met". www.met.police.uk. Archived from the original on 2020-06-26. Retrieved 2020-06-24.