What Do Railroad Police Do?

Railway public security organs are public security organs established and operated to protect the security of railway transportation. They are under the vertical leadership of the Ministry of Public Security.

Railway police

The Railway Public Security Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China , the tenth bureau of the Ministry of Public Security , formerly known as the Ministry of Railways Public Security Bureau , is responsible for leading the public security work on state-owned railway roads nationwide.

Chinese name: Railway police
Foreign name: Railway Police
established in: northeast of China

Time: Established in 1949
Department: Directly under the Ministry of Public Security
Function: Guarantee the safety of railway transportation
Responsibility: National Railway Transport Public Security Defense Work

The Public Security Bureau of the Ministry of Railways was established in 1949 and its first director Feng Ji. In 1954, it was incorporated into the Traffic Security Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security. In July 1970, the Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Transport merged into

The railway public security organs are responsible for the railway's public security work. Its main tasks are to center on the party's central work and railway transportation production in various periods, to prevent and stop all destructive activities that endanger the railway transportation production, to maintain political and public security stability, and to carry out anti-international defense Struggle, crack down on hostile forces, hostile elements and various criminal offenses, criminal activities that endanger national security, safeguard the security order of "stations, cars, lines" and internal units of the railway, carry out fire supervision, conduct computer security supervision, and defend head offices The safety of key parts and heads of vehicles to ensure the safety of railway transportation production and the lives and property of passengers.

Railway public security grassroots have the following main responsibilities:

1. Prevent and stop illegal and criminal activities, accept and investigate alarm cases from the masses, search for wanted criminals, arrest current criminals and absconding criminals;

2. Dealing with public security cases. Investigate and punish violations of public security management and maintain public order.

3. Protect the security of national guards at the station;

4. Accept and handle matters concerning trains and police stations;

5. Lead the work of the station security committee, volunteer fire brigade and security joint defense organization. In conjunction with local and railway departments, organize and carry out mass road protection and joint defense activities at stations and along the railway within the Kannai;

6. Cooperate with public security, judicial, and national security organs to perform investigation, arrest, and escorting criminal suspects at stations;

7. In conjunction with relevant departments, do a good job of security protection for military and special transportation;

8. Carry out explosion-proof, fire-proof, anti-theft, anti-natural disaster accident and legal publicity work for passengers; cooperate with station passenger transport departments to check and block dangerous goods illegally carried and checked by passengers;

9. Assist station leaders to implement internal security protection responsibilities and take charge of station internal security protection work;

10. Investigate and deal with vehicle accidents, road casualties and other accidents together with the safety supervision department;

11. Security related businesses in other jurisdictions. (There are many types of railway police.

Document No. 15 of 2009, Notice on the Reform of the Management System of the Railway Public Prosecution Law and the Approval of the Turning of Political Law clearly states that the railway public security organs accept the dual leadership of the Ministry of Public Security and the Railway Corporation (formerly the Ministry of Railways) and implement hierarchical management, that is, railway The Ministry of Public Security is the tenth bureau of the Ministry of Public Security and a "functional department" of the Railway Corporation. It leads 18 railway public security bureaus across the country. The railway public security bureaus exercise the functions and powers of prefecture-level and city-level public security organs, and at the same time have the functions of national security organs. The railway public security offices and public security sections exercise the functions and powers of county-level public security organs. ^[2]

Railway police or railroad police, railway police vary greatly from country to country. It is called Bahnpolizei (railroad police) in German-speaking countries such as Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. On July 1, 2005, the German Railway Public Security was restructured and merged into the German Federal Police. In Switzerland, because railway employees covered railway police operations, it was not until the late 1990s that railway police were gradually established in response to growing railway crimes. In 2002, Swiss Railway Public Security was established by some domestic security companies. In 2011, Swiss Railway Public Security became a civil servant.

In other countries, the role of railway police is different from that of ordinary public security agencies. They look more like security personnel. Although there are many differences, their common responsibilities are around the railway system, safeguarding railway property, equipment, public safety, and combating crime. Railway police in some countries have more law enforcement powers due to their own characteristics. In the United States and Canada, all railway police are responsible for security work at level 1 railways (the United States classifies railways at three levels according to the profits generated by railway lines) . In other countries, such work is usually done by local police rather than setting up a special department. In the United Kingdom, the railway police is responsible for the traffic police, and the British traffic police is responsible for the full security of the railway transportation system. ^[6]

Railway Police Brazil Railway Police

Established in 1852, the Brazilian Federal Railway Police is the earliest police agency in Brazil. Dom Pedro II (Prince of Portugal) was founded to defend the transport of Portuguese colonial metro mines. Later Brazil declared independence and cancelled the railway police. Due to the importance of railway public security to national security, many members of Brazil's parliament have repeatedly proposed to restore the railway public security system.

Canadian Railway Police

In Canada, the construction of the entire railway system was introduced from the United States, and at the same time, railway police were also introduced from the United States. Prior to the formation of the Canadian Confederation, rail police had the same enforcement power as federal police for a quarter-mile diameter of trains and railway companies. Canadian Pacific Railroad initially relied on the Dominion Police, the predecessor of the Northwest Mounted Police Force during the construction of the cross-sea railway.

In the late 1880s, Canadian Pacific Railroad formed its own rail police. At that time, the railway companies employed a large number of workers, which caused many problems. In 1900, Pacific Railroad formed the Department of Security, which operates in a manner similar to municipal, provincial, and national police in European and American countries. Its responsibilities include investigating and preventing theft, theft, destruction, destruction, and strikes.

At that time, Canada passed the "Chinese Immigration Bill" No. 1885, in which the federal government required Pacific Railroad police to supervise Chinese workers, and at that time Chinese workers were called "detainees" and they were like prisoners Being oppressed, hungry every day, work beyond the limits.

With the advancement of human civilization, today the Canadian National Railways and Pacific Railroad Public Security Department are responsible for railway security, and the railway police have sworn and loyal to the Railway Safety Act. The law stipulates that the federal government has the right to designate a natural person as a professional railway police. These railway police are employed by railway companies and require that its main responsibility is to reduce traffic accidents along the railway. They usually investigate crimes and violations (traffic accidents, railway disruption), accident investigations and railway safety propaganda.

It is worth noting that the National Railway Corporation of Canada was a state-owned enterprise before 1994 and has since become a private enterprise. As a result, the targets served by the National Railway Police around 1994 have changed. In addition, the railway police in Canada also need to swear allegiance to the laws of the provinces. For the sake of the interests of the provinces, railway police often play the role of "local police reserve" when the local police force is inadequate due to their low pay. . Because many jobs require the assistance of local police, they will be referred to the local police when the railway police cannot handle the situation. At the same time, the local police have the right to ask the railway police for assistance with railway-unrelated businesses. ^[7]

German Railway Police

Bahnpolizei is the name of the German Federal Railway Police, and German Railway Police is loyal to the Deutsche Bundesbahn Railway Company. Deutsche Bahn's work includes investigating railway damage, harming passengers, counter-terrorism, arson, graffiti railway locomotives and vehicles, sabotaging railway buildings, sabotaging railway signals, pickpocketing, ticket fraud, robbery, theft, and leakage of hazardous substances in railway traffic accidents.
In 1992, the railway security mission was transferred to the German Federal Guard, Bundesgrenzschutz, and in 1990 they had actually begun receiving railway police work in Democratic Germany. On July 1, 2005, as part of the German Federal Police, German Railway Police changed its name to Bahnpolizei (German Federal Railway Police) and continued to be responsible for previous railway security work.

Swiss Railway Police

The Swiss public security system does not have a separate police force for railway traffic, because all railway employees have some police powers. However, due to the increasing crime of railways in Switzerland in the late 1990s, they had to "borrow" from Germany the German Federal Public Security to protect the safety of train drivers on commuter trains.

In 2002, the Swiss SBB-CFF-FFS railway company set up its own railway police, called Securitas AG, and took responsibility for defending Swiss railways, passengers, railway assets and railway employees. At the beginning of 2011, Swiss railway police were transformed into civil servants. All railway police need to study at the police academy for two years and obtain a certificate. Swiss railway police generally do not carry firearms while on duty, and police equipment such as tear jets and handcuffs are used as their law enforcement tools.

Railway Police British Railway Police

After 1948, the British Transport Police protected railway lines throughout the Kingdom of Great Britain. Prior to that, private railway companies had the right to hire their own rail police.

American Railway Police

U.S. Railway Police goes back to the period of Picton State Detective Agency. In the mid-nineteenth century, the U.S. military was unable to defend railroad lines on wide areas. Railways far from the bustling areas make freight and passengers subject to security threats to varying degrees. Picton's keen business sense points to railway safety, Ohio-Mississippi Railway Chief George B. McClellan boldly adopted Lincoln's proposal, accompanied by lawyer Lincoln (later the United States President), and agreed to fund Picton National Detective To protect railway safety.

This Picton-style railway security contract continued until the American Civil War. During the civil war, various railway companies successively established their own railway police. After the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers was established in 1863, Picton National Detective Agency and the newly formed railway police became tools to suppress railway strikes.

In addition, the ticket sellers at the time often supervised the theft and did not provide them with tickets after collecting their belongings. Picton began investigating such acts in the interests of railway companies in 1854. Until February 1, 1855, he established the Northwest Railway Police with a $ 10,000 sponsored by the Midwest Railway Company.

In the United States, some rail police have been given sufficient power by law to enforce the law. The railway police's appointment, duties, and organizational form are stipulated in Chapter 1704 of the U.S. Crimes Act 1990: Any appointed railway policeman must abide by the laws of any state, and exercise the railway in accordance with the laws and regulations issued by the United States Secretary of Transportation Jurisdiction.

It is worth noting that Chapter 1704 of the Crimes Control Act also says "the law enforcement authority of railway police appointed by law." In some places, a rail police may have the power of a local police. For example, the railway police in California, in the state, they have sufficient law enforcement powers, while in the railway jurisdictions of other states, they have limited powers. ^[8]

Railroad police signs (police badges, etc.) vary from state to state in the United States, because they are appointed by the state government in which they reside, and they not only have the right to arrest within the state, they also have the right to arrest across states. Although the law stipulates that the jurisdiction of railway police is limited to railways and railway land, according to the actual situation in each state, American railway police can quote other legal provisions to ensure the smooth execution of cross-region arrests.

According to the laws of each state in the United States, railway police can be considered to have three identities at the same time: local police, special operations police, and industry police. For example, in Virginia, the railroad chief can appoint his own rail police in any county court.

Responsibilities of U.S. Railway Police: Investigate illegal invasion of railway jurisdiction, passenger safety, counter-terrorism, arson, graffiti, vandalism, signal destruction, pickpocketing, ticket fraud, robbery, theft, train derailment, vehicle collision, railroad traffic accidents, and railway hazardous substances Investigation of a leak. ^[9]