Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile | Editorial | Mission | Privacy | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

British Transport Police - keeping an eye on us

anon. | 31.03.2009 00:38 | G20 London Summit

British Transport Police warning rail staff employees to look out for G20 protestors

Staff who work for the Welsh Train company Arriva were handed this message today, I'm presuming other rail staff across the UK were given similar messages:

"As you are most probably aware from news reports it is anticipated that there may be some public disorder asocaited with the G20 meeting in London on Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd April 2009.

Whilst our services are very unlikely to be directly affected by the event, it is possible that they will be used by passengers intending to make their way to demonstrate in London.

Therefore British Transport Police are asking staff to report any sightings that meet the following general description of activities:

* Groups of travellers wearing noticeable themed clothing, for example same large logo or coloured shirts etc
* Any noticebale groups who are beleived to be travelling to London
* Any groups carrying banners or posters
* Any group bookings to London that day/s

If any groups are seen that meet the above please forward details of time, locatins, description and numbers to BTP control Rooms on wither the normal control room number

0800405040 or

ON THE DAY of the event a direct phone line of Intenral 004 1123 or External 02078301123

BTP welcome any possible information that can be supplied and emphasise that even the smallest piece of information can be useful

Can you please pass on this request to all relevant staff"

anon.

Comments

Hide the following 20 comments

If This Is Genuine?

31.03.2009 02:19

Then that's a very frightening statement about the times we live in.

Rail staff being asked to be the political police??

I smell a scandal. Assuming this is true...

(getting the coach)


Spelling mistakes?

31.03.2009 02:23

Just read it properly and there's 5 terrible spelling mistakes:

asocaited
noticebale
beleived
locatins
Intenral

Not that I'm saying all police can spell perfectly or anything, but it does look a bit off.

fact or fiction?


please rat out your fellow citizens after the tone...

31.03.2009 02:36

seems like an open invitation for a bit of disinformation, especially as the first phone number is free. just pop into the nearest public telephone and bravely tell the ever-vigilant transport police that they ought to be watching various outlying minor stations (is the western end of zone 4 or 5 plausible??) for sudden groupings of angry anti-capitalists. who knows, it could even divert a few of them to places like wembley or ealing.

thurlow


Handy

31.03.2009 06:53

And now this stupid and sinister idea can be gleefully abused by its intended victims.

Is this what the average plod signed up for, to act like the fucking Stasi?

Mz Direction


letter is genuine

31.03.2009 07:32

The letter is genuine it was given to me by someone working for arriva - the spelling mistakes are my own, I was copying the letter out late last night.

anon.


anon

31.03.2009 07:42

Any chance you can take a photo of the letter and upload it here please?

nona


we are arrving at stations all around london

31.03.2009 08:18

Lets get them looking for groups of people arriving at a platform (not) near you.

travelling alone


Photo of letter

31.03.2009 08:20

Photo of letter to Arriva Staff
Photo of letter to Arriva Staff

Here is a photo of the letter, not on heded paper but still very genuine...

anon.


phone # seems genuine

31.03.2009 08:23

just popped 0800405040 into google & got hits for British Transport Police SW area...

@ thurlow:
bloody great idea, can give those of us who can't make it to London for one reason or another something useful to do, this should be promoted!

anon


Wow Quite fucking unbelievable!

31.03.2009 08:43

If any one argues that we don't live within a police state, they should get a look at this. I agree we should really promote this and get it out to as many folk as possible and let the filth know we are coming (from some obscure angles)...

@narchist


Thanks for posting this - RMT?

31.03.2009 09:39

Wonder what the RMT would have to say about this?

Pete


Nothing new

31.03.2009 11:01

Glad to see other protesters are becoming aware of this dictatorship we live in. AR people have known this for years. The whole issue now of anyone protesting about anything is deemed that we are 'terrorists' or are 'trouble makers'. We do not have the right to freedom of speech or freedom of assembly, as this shows, if anyone has the guts to get out there and make themselves heard against any issue they are assumed to be trouble. It is time this police state is exposed to the general public. The Governement and the police want us all to stay home and be nice little Stepford Wives!

anon


No big deal

31.03.2009 11:14

I don't see why this shows we live in a 'police state'. Of course the police want to know about big groups of people coming for the demos so they know what numbers they are dealing with. Don't panic! :)

Ruby


Send it to wikileaks

31.03.2009 11:22

I suggest sending a transcript and the photograph to wikileaks.

Me


nothing new for eco-stuff too

31.03.2009 13:01

I know what happens to AR protests is worse in so many ways.

But some of us who do eco-stuff have been aware of this kind of thing for years, we just have short-term 'movement' memory problems!

When people from the UK were going to the Czech Republic for the World Bank protests back in 2000, people were pulled off coaches leaving the country, here and across the Channel, photographed and questioned.

old hand


For staff only?

31.03.2009 13:24

Surely this memo is intended for staff to phone BTP - so any 'prank calls' would have to also include real details of staff to verify them?

earwicga


get real

31.03.2009 14:55

'the police want to know about big groups so they can see what numbers they are dealing with' ha, ha, ha, there speaks either a police officer or a niave person who has never done demo's!

anon


passing on info

31.03.2009 16:51

"pass on to all relevant staff"

joe bloggs the cleaner, burger king staff and the list goes on. Im sure they wont have time to check the information there and then about who is calling.

let them know theres an army arriving at every station in london.

let the games begin

anon


Bollocks to the BTP

31.03.2009 23:12

Anyone who's had dealings with the BTP knows they are corrupt cunts - especially DS Pete Thrush and PC Will Livings based at London Bridge. Sad bastards.

Bob


AR

01.04.2009 02:10

Stop behaving like some jumped up older brother who thinks he knows it all and knows best.

There's a difference between police operations against protestors and 'known activists' and a general rat on any demonstrators on your train line / stn request to civvy staff.

crikey.


Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
24th October, London: 2015 London Anarchist Bookfair
2nd - 8th November: Wrexham, Wales, UK & Everywhere: Week of Action Against the North Wales Prison & the Prison Industrial Complex. Cymraeg: Wythnos o Weithredu yn Erbyn Carchar Gogledd Cymru

Ongoing UK
Every Tuesday 6pm-8pm, Yorkshire: Demo/vigil at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill US Spy Base More info: CAAB.

Every Tuesday, UK & worldwide: Counter Terror Tuesdays. Call the US Embassy nearest to you to protest Obama's Terror Tuesdays. More info here

Every day, London: Vigil for Julian Assange outside Ecuadorian Embassy

Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Regions
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
Nottingham
Scotland
Social Media
You can follow @ukindymedia on indy.im and Twitter. We are working on a Twitter policy. We do not use Facebook, and advise you not to either.
Support Us
We need help paying the bills for hosting this site, please consider supporting us financially.
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
NATO 2014
G8 2013
Workfare
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Encrypted Page
You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.
If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

Global IMC Network


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech