GRAPHIC CONTENT: Transport police issue shocking video revealing dangers of walking on railway tracks

British Transport Police has launched a shocking new video showing the dangers, and consequences, of people walking on the tracks.
Image: British Transport PoliceImage: British Transport Police
Image: British Transport Police

The video, published on YouTube, shows CCTV images of people running across the tracks, narrowly avoiding, in all but one example, being hit by passing trains.

The dramatic video is entitled Real Tracks, Real Life, Real Trains.

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Nearly 170 people have been killed over the last 10 years while trespassing on the railway. The end of the film shows someone getting hit by a train. The victim survived but he spent six months in hospital and was paralysed from the waist down.

A spokesman for British Transport Police said: "£Think it’s fun to play on the railway or okay to take a shortcut along the tracks? Think again. This shocking real-life footage is a reality check.

"Most trespassers say taking a shortcut was their main motivation, followed by thrill-seeking. But walking along or messing around on the tracks can result in serious life-changing injuries or death.

"Don’t let your door be the one we knock on to say your loved one has been killed or seriously injured as a result of trespassing," he said.

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Meanwhile, the new chief of British Transport Police in the Midlands has vowed to deliver a “first-class” policing service to rail users across the two regions.

Superintendent Sandra England has been appointed the policing commander for the force in the East and West Midlands.

The appointment is a welcome return for Supt England, who spent several years in Birmingham in the mid-noughties as Detective Chief Inspector.

Supt England, who hails from the South Wales Valleys, joined the force in Cardiff in 1995, where she rose through the ranks as a detective.

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For the last eight years, she has been a Chief Inspector in Wales where she has commanded many complex events, including BTP’s operation around the London 2012 Olympics.

Taking over from Allan Gregory, who has been promoted to Chief Superintendent, Supt England said she had always wanted to be a police officer.

"Although this sounds a bit of a cliché I had wanted to be a police officer since I was a child. While at university, I became a Special Constable and really enjoyed the variety of dealing with different incidents. This focused my mind on to a career with the force," she said.

The highlight of her career, she said, had been being a commander for the team responsible for delivering BTP’s policing operation in Wales around the 2012 Olympics

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"Cardiff hosted the first event of the Games and it was definitely a highlight. It also led to an invite to the Queens Diamond Jubilee service – a very proud moment!

"The opportunities BTP presents as a national force are extremely attractive and I have travelled far and wide across the UK and Europe throughout my career, including France for the 1998 World Cup," she added.

The aim of her new role was clear, she said.

"Through working with my teams, I aim to provide the best service possible to rail users and ensure that if people do become victims and witnesses of crime, we provide a first class response," she said.