British police using 'ghost trains' to catch thieves
To catch the surging number of scrap metal thieves red-handed, undercover British policemen have now started travelling at night by special locomotives, dubbed ‘ghost trains’.
The locomotives travel with their lights dimmed and their engines muffled to allow specialist officers, equipped with infra-red cameras, to catch unsuspecting criminals in the act, the Daily Mail reported.
The initiative has been undertaken to curb the metal theft crime wave that has caused chaos for rail passengers. Over 1,900 trains had to be cancelled in the last seven months due to about 700 copper cable thefts across the network.
The thefts have left Network Rail, which owns and operates Britain's rail infrastructure, with over 10 million pound bill.
These ‘ghost trains’ are four carriages long and carry a team of four officers from British Transport Police and Network Rail.
They employ thermal-imaging equipment to scour the sides of the track for criminals and use torches to inspect cables running above the train for evidence of damage or theft.
The officers are also poised to trigger powerful lamps mounted alongside cameras on the front of the train, to record any suspicious activity ahead.
These teams remain in constant radio contact with police vehicles, which follow the train's route by road, ready to chase any criminals attempting to flee. Also, helicopters are kept on standby to provide relevant air support.
A Network Rail expert estimated the number of ‘ghost trains’ being operated on stretches of track most commonly targeted by thieves has quadrupled over the same period.
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