British Transport Police hold violence summit

A summit is being held by British Transport Police to tackle violence and anti-social behaviour by football fans on the transport network.

Chief Constable Paul Crowther says while violent incidents have dropped, there has been a rise in "casual, thuggish behaviour" by some fans.

Friday's conference will hear testimony from the public and rail staff.

There have been 630 football-related incidents reported to police during this season, which began in August.

These include violence, criminal damage and abusive behaviour.

Of this season's reported incidents, 162 were racially or religiously aggravated.

But British Transport Police say incidents are often under-reported because witnesses do not always come forward.

This weekend will see large numbers of fans on the move for the FA Cup semi-finals, being held at London's Wembley stadium.

Chief Constable Paul Crowther will host the conference aimed at preventing anti-social behaviour on public transport

Mr Crowther, who is hosting the summit, said people had been shocked by images from Paris earlier this year when Chelsea fans were seen pushing a black French man off a Metro train.

Scotland Yard is seeking a football banning order for five men accused of racist chanting before Chelsea's Champions League game in the city in February.

"What shocks me is that people are surprised this is going on, because frankly this kind of casual, thuggish behaviour is sadly taking place more or less on a weekly basis across our transport system," said Mr Crowther.

"There's a risk that, as a society, it's become something we almost tolerate. So how do we turn that around, what can we do to stop it and how can we bring all the people together that can help us to do that?"

Mr Crowther said organised, gang-related football violence is declining but anti-social behaviour - such as swearing and racial chanting - is on the rise.

"I ask myself, why am I deploying nearly 400 officers per day, over the next two days, for the FA Cup semi-finals simply to get people to and from a sporting event?" he added.

He also urged people to contact police if they witness any kind of criminal incident on the transport system.