SIPTU CALLS FOR specially trained social care officers to work alongside promised transport police and intervene with people who are experiencing homelessness and substance problems.

Last week, Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien said a new dedicated public transport police could be in place by the end of next year, with powers of arrest and detention.

O’Brien and Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan are currently working on introducing legislation to create this uniformed, security transport unit to increase public safety.

Siptu representatives have welcomed the announcement – but warned that inclusion of a social care element will be “crucial to the success” of the new force in dealing with issues on public transport. 

The Union have said transport staff encounter vulnerable people everyday, as public transport is becoming a space for people who have “nowhere else to go”.

The Union’s Transport Sector Organiser, John Murphy, said a new transport policing service was the key demand of their Respect Transport Workers campaign, however they also call for social care officers who can further help people causing issues on public transport.

He said: “These are specifically trained social care intervention officers to deal with those causing a public disturbance on the transport network but who are more applicable for intervention in relation to underlying issues, such as substance abuse and homelessness, rather than within a purely legal framework.”

Siptu National Executive Council member and Dublin Bus worker, Stephen Millane said members of the union are encountering more cases of vulnerable people on public transport.

“Without the right services in place, transport staff are being asked to handle situations they are neither trained for nor equipped to manage,” he added.

He said that while security and enforcement are crucial, it is essential that a transport policing force is “more than just a uniformed deterrent”.

Siptu National Executive Council member and Irish Rail worker, Tommy Wynne said: ““We see it every day. Our buses and trains are becoming spaces where people with complex needs end up because they have nowhere else to go.”

“As well as a force to ensure that the increasing incidents of violence and abuse on our public transport network are effectively tackled we need a compassionate response that recognises the role transport plays in wider society.”