SIPTU representatives have welcomed the public support of Dublin Bus management, in several media reports yesterday (Tuesday, 22nd April), for the establishment of a dedicated transport police service largely in-line with the proposals outlined by the Union’s Respect Transport Workers campaign.
SIPTU Dublin Bus representative and National Executive Council member, Stephen Millane, said: “Our Union outlined comprehensive proposals for a transport police service in the run-up to the last General Election. The proposals contained in our Travel Safe policy document were adopted by most political parties and are part of the Programme for Government. It is most welcomed that Dublin Bus management announced publicly yesterday that it also supports the establishment of a dedicated transport policing service.”
He added: “The need for a transport policing service based on international best practice is a very real one. We look forward to working with all stakeholders to make it a reality in as short a timeframe as possible.”
SIPTU Sector Organiser, John Murphy, said: “Following consultation with our members, last year we launched the SIPTU Respect Transport Workers campaign, with the primary aim of placing their demand for a transport policing service on the national agenda. In our Travel Safe document we outlined what such a policing service could look like based on a study of best practice in the EU, UK, US and Australia.
“Public transport workers are on the frontline in a society which has changed since the pandemic. Dublin Bus has said that the volume of incidents of anti-social behaviour and abuse reported to it has doubled. Our own research in the Respect Transport Workers campaign surveys confirms this increased threat to our members working on buses, trains and other forms of public transport.
“Importantly, our Travel Safe proposals also have a social dimension with a call for the establishment of Public Transport Assistance Units. These are specifically trained social care intervention officers to deal with those causing a public disturbance on the transport network but who are more applicable for intervention in relation to underlying social care issues, such as substance abuse and homelessness, rather than within a purely legal framework.”
He added: “The incident last Friday in the Mountjoy Square area of central Dublin, when a driver was threatened with what appears to have been a gun, has hopefully marked a turning point in this debate. It must no longer be about whether we should have a transport policing service but rather how it will be established and operated. In relation to Mountjoy Square, the suspension of bus services in that area after 7.00 pm will continue until all the necessary measures are in place to improve security for our members.”