Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has rejected calls for airport-style security scanners at railway stations following a horrific knife attack on an LNER service from Doncaster to London that left 11 people injured, two in a life-threatening condition. The government will instead conduct a review of rail security measures, with increased visible patrols at major stations in the coming days.
The attack on Saturday night saw passengers flee as a man allegedly rampaged through multiple carriages. Anthony Williams, 32, appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Monday charged with 10 counts of attempted murder. Among the seriously injured is a rail worker who intervened to try to stop the attacker.
Speaking to the BBC, Ms Alexander said while public transport in the UK remains a low-crime environment, the government will review all security measures. However, she declined to endorse the installation of metal detectors and X-ray machines, stating she does not believe they are “the right solution for stations in the UK”.
Security expert Professor Anthony Glees of the University of Buckingham has urged the introduction of metal detectors, citing their use in Spain on high-speed services following the 2004 Madrid train bombings that killed over 190 people. He described trains as “basically unpoliceable spaces”.
The review will consider lessons from other countries, but Ms Alexander emphasised the UK’s railways are among the safest in the world, with only 27 crimes per million passenger journeys.
