A NEW team of police officers has started patrolling Enfield's railway routes to beat crime and anti social behaviour.

The eight officers will be based Hackney Downs and will patrol the National Express line which runs from there to Enfield Town.

The six police constables, supervised by a Sergeant and an Inspector form part of series of teams patrolling railway lines across the captial. In all 50 officers are involved.

BTP Inspector Jenny Gilmer, who will oversee the team, says passengers travelling on the stretch of line can expect to see a more visible police presence.

Insp Gilmer said: "These officers will play an important role in reassuring passengers that the railways are a safe way to travel.

“Particularly as far as antisocial behaviour, drugs and offensive weapons are concerned, the message is simple. BTP will not tolerate such activity on the railway and the team will be enforcing that message robustly.”

Insp Gilmer added: “The team will work closely with National Express rail staff, local businesses and the local police force to ensure that intelligence is shared and that any persistent problems are identified and dealt with swiftly and effectively.”

Crime on the railways in the London North Area of BTP has been steadily reduced in recent years, while the number of crimes officers have detected has risen.

The number of robberies committed on the railway network has dropped for the fourth year in a row – down 21 per cent on the previous year’s figures; sexual offences are down by five per cent, criminal damage is down by 18.5 per cent, theft of passenger property is down by 13.1 per cent, motor vehicle and cycle offences are down by 9.5 per cent and fraud offences are down by 3.4 per cent.

Insp Gilmer said: “The introduction of BTP policing teams has been instrumental in helping to reduce and detect crime on the railway over the past year and we look to this new team to help build on those successes in their area in the coming months.”

Steve Burton, Director for Community, Safety, Enforcement and Policing at Transport for London, said: “It’s great to see the new team in place, especially as we want people travelling on all public transport, not just our own services, to feel safe wherever they are."