Italian EU Presidency: Railway police experts meet in Brussels
The 32nd Railpol strategic conference ended today in Brussels.
The meeting of the European Network of Railway Police Forces, organized by the Italian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, was attended by 16 representatives of European police forces, including the Italian Railway police and US police officers specialized in railway security.
The aim of the railway expert network is to identify common strategies to tackle railway crime and manage public order issues. The working group's specialists are also involved in the study of investigation techniques in case of rail accidents and in the search for solutions against terrorist threats.
During the meeting several topical issues were addressed, such as the threat from cybercrime to rail infrastructure, the analysis of best practices in the fight against copper thefts, and passengers and luggage control measures.
Over the last few years the Railway Police has promoted various initiatives within the network, such as the Copper E-book, an interactive manual explaining the types of copper used by the European Railway Companies, or the joint action days called "Red Gold", to give a European response to the phenomenon of copper thefts from railways.
The conference was also an opportunity to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the European Network of Railway Police and all the initiatives promoted by the network in recent years.