BTP’s anti-theft campaign wins passenger innovation award

British Transport Police (BTP) officers and staff are celebrating after the force won an award for its anti-theft campaign.

Operation Magnum was launched in April last year to tackle pickpockets, gadget-grabbers and luggage thieves who target passengers across the railway network – and between April 1, 2013, and Wednesday March 26, 2014, theft committed on trains and at stations had reduced by 16.1 per cent, with 2,728 fewer victims compared to the same period the previous year*.

The initiative won the O2 Passenger Services Innovation Award, with the £10,000 prize money being donated to BTP’s chosen charity, Railway Children.

The award recognised BTP’s use of technology to improve passenger journeys while travelling on the rail network across England, Scotland and Wales.

Officers used a range of tactics to create a really difficult environment for criminals to operate in, and the use of technology has been essential:

•Officers issued video clips (www.btp.police.uk/theft) through the Operation Magnum mobile website and YouTube channel to help passengers spot 13 of the most common tricks thieves use;

•Officers encouraged passengers to install a tracker application on their smartphone or tablet device to help trace the device if it is stolen. BTP’s Real Time Intelligence (RTI) unit has successfully recovered a number of items by using the tracker application;

•BTP used Hermes (property registration) devices to register the IMEI (international mobile equipment identity) number of passengers’ mobile phones and electrical gadgets on immobilise.com, a website that helps police reunite people with their lost or stolen items;

•As part of a social media campaign to highlight Operation Magnum, @btp_uk tweeted about every theft that took place on the railway over a 24-hour period, using #EveryTheft. The aim of the online operation was to highlight to passengers the importance of looking after personal belongings and valuables while travelling across the rail network; and

•BTP’s pickpocket squad, known as the ‘Dip Squad’, also set up a Twitter account (@BTPdipsquad), which provides crime prevention advice and information about their latest arrests and sentencing results.

Anna Holness, managing partner of the Passenger Services Practice at O2, said: “BTP’s entry was the clear winner of our Passenger Services Innovation Award. We felt the team demonstrated real innovation, especially in the use of digital technology to improve the lives of passengers and provide tangible benefits across the UK travel network. This has been unprecedented and we are confident other organisations will look to Operation Magnum as a great case study in this area.”

Chief Superintendent Paul Brogden, who leads the operation, added: “We are delighted to have been recognised by O2 and are thrilled to be able to donate £10,000 to Railway Children.

“We will continue to do everything we can to disrupt and deter thieves who brazenly snatch expensive smartphones from distracted passengers’ hands and those who steal luggage and valuables on trains.

“We want people to be aware of the different tactics and distractions thieves use so passengers can better protect their property.”

Terina Keene, chief executive of Railway Children, said: “It is fantastic to receive such tremendous support from BTP towards the charity’s work in fighting for children living alone and at risk on the streets in the UK, India and East Africa.

“Here in the UK, one child runs away from home every five minutes. These children are often forced to leave homes where they suffer poverty, violence, abuse and neglect. With nowhere else to go and nobody turn to, this donation will go a long way in helping to change the lives of children on the streets today and to protect those who run away in the future.”

*Force-wide thefts: April 1, 2012 to March 26, 2013 – 16,986; April 1, 2013 to March 26, 2014 – 14,258.