§ Mr. Wheelerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set up an inquiry into the policing arrangements for the London underground system with a view to the Metropolitan Police taking over this responsibility from the British Transport police.
§ Mr. WhitelawNo. The policing of the London underground is a matter which may be discussed at the working conference on violence on public transport which my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport and I are holding on 6 May.
§ Mr. Wheelerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how often the Metropolitan Police have been called upon to assist in the policing of the underground 459W system in the previous 12 months; and whether the Metropolitan Police or the Transport police are responsible for arrests and the conduct of the prosecution case.
§ Mr. WhitelawComprehensive information about assistance by the Metropolitan Police is not available, but patrols to prevent rowdyism by football supporters have been provided on 17 occasions during the last 12 months. Broadly speaking, the conduct of prosecutions arising from incidents in the London underground is a mater for the British Transport police. But in uncontested cases, where an officer of the Metropolitan Police has made an arrest, he normally conducts the prosecution as a matter of convenience.