Anti-terror unit visit Newcastle Central Station

Nov 13 2009 by Lisa Hutchinson, The Journal

THOUSANDS of travellers were faced with a counter terrorism squad as they arrived at Newcastle Central Station yesterday afternoon.

Officers and their with sniffer dogs flooded the platforms in an exercise that was designed to reassure the public.

Nine officers with the London-based Counter Terrorism Unit teamed up with Newcastle’s Transport Police to stop and search travellers coming in and out of the city.

Their arrival was part of Operation Pegasus, which started at the beginning of the year to prevent terrorist activity on the country’s railways.

The move follows the July 7 London bombings in 2005, a series of coordinated attacks on the capital’s public transport system during the morning rush hour, that killed 56 people, including the bombers. About 700 civilians were injured.

Yesterday’s unit was joined by five highly trained sniffer dogs to detect explosives. Springer spaniels and Labradors called Raphie, Ross, Max, Taff and Charlie, were a hit with commuters.

Officer in charge, Sgt Bill Pearson, with the Counter Terrorism Unit, said: “This is a routine counter terrorism operation to reassure the general public and to prevent and detect any terrorist activity on the railway system.

“We are travelling the country visiting different railway stations in Operation Pegasus. We were in York on Wednesday, in Newcastle on Thursday and London on Friday. We have teamed up with Newcastle’s Transport Police and are making routine stops with people in the station. The dogs are here to sniff for any explosives.”

The move pleased travellers and workers at the station. Patricia Pratt, 63, from Darlington, said: “I have come to Newcastle to shop and saw the police activity. It is reassuring that they are here doing this.”

Joan Peskett, 58, of London, said: “It is good to know that the police are being proactive.”

Lee Goule, 39, the station’s taxi rank supervisor who works for City Cabs, said: “The police team arrived with the sniffer dogs and were routinely stopping people. It is reassuring that they are carrying out operations like this, especially as Christmas approaches when the stations are extra busy.”