Police from London will be seconded to Southend for a crackdown on train robbery.

The sweep will mean an extra British Transport Police presence on the c2c and One rail lines in the next few weeks.

The crackdown will begin as the school summer holidays get under way, an ideal time for robbers to prey on day trippers.

The BTP's Sgt Nick Marshall, based in Southend, said one of the aims was to put commuters at ease by having a police presence on the trains.

He said: "Only very occasionally violence is used but people have to be on their guard. They should be aware about using mobile phones."

Published Wednesday July 21, 2004

Brought to you by the Evening Echo