Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Jim Sheridan (Labour). It was answered on Tuesday, 11 October 2005 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

British Transport Police

Question: Will my right hon. Friend include in his review the role of the British Transport police on and around the Heathrow Express? I know that there is a significant and extensive network of surveillance cameras, but it would reassure the travelling public if we could see additional security personnel on and around that service.

Answer: The British Transport police are deployed from time to time on trains. The decision where to deploy police officers is a decision for the chief constable; it is an operational matter. I know that my hon. Friend uses the Heathrow Express, presumably twice a week if not more, and he will undoubtedly have noticed that police officers are seen on those trains from time to time. However, as I have said to the House before, there are many forms of surveillance in place around our stations, some of which are obvious and some of which are not.

Secondary information