Revenue Protection Officers (railway)

Livingthedream

storm08 wrote: »

I will have to sit tight and see what letter I receive from them.

If you get a letter, it's not a done deal that your going to get prosecuted.

storm08 wrote: »

know how serious any sort of conviction would be in terms of employment.

Option 2 that I stated above, if the train company are happy with that it would mean no conviction or criminal record.

storm08 wrote: »

Just wandering around like a zombie worrying about it all..

Try not to worry, you maybe worrying about nothing.

storm08 wrote: »

Thanks again, will keep everyone updated.

Please do, especially if you get a letter.

storm08 wrote: »

<snip>Basically I had a valid ticket, the RPO thought that I had altered the ticket in the past. On the day in question the ticket was filled out correctly. But due to doubt over past use confiscated the pass.<snip>Now, I didnt give her my address. WAIT WAIT! I know this is an offence but she had already told me she would get it when she requested details of the ticket/pass.<snip>

What kind of ticket was it?

Was it a Season ticket or an online purchased ticket that had your name on, I'm just confused to how she would get your name & address from a ticket if it wasn't one of the above types of ticket.

Stigy

Livingthedream wrote: »

Was it a Season ticket or an online purchased ticket that had your name on, I'm just confused to how she would get your name & address from a ticket if it wasn't one of the above types of ticket.

Season Tickets (1-month or above?) have details of the holder logged I believe.

Livingthedream wrote:

That's why I asked that question last night, as IMHO I feel that the OP has been reported.

I assumed from the outset that Storm08 had been reported for an alleged offence to be honest. Although you know what they say about assumptions....

Storm, Livingthedream is spot on with the options available to you and the order in which you'll receive letters etc. The TOC should write to you, but bear in mind some TOCs use other companies' Prosections Dept (for example I believe that Virgin Trains use Southeastern's Prosecutions Dept). With the exception of some London Underground cases, a Train Operating comapny will never pass it's cases on to the CPS, although to be honest the CPS or Criminal Protection Service as I and lots other I'm sure know them better as, is often much softer and like to discontinue cases all too quickly!

Also Storm, I dont believe you told me whether you refused to give details, or whether the RPO just said straight away that she'd obtain them from the ticket? If the latter (shouldn't be the case, as details are far easier to be obtain through questioning than to look at ticket details etc!), you've not refused details, so haven't commited an offence of the resusal of your details (Byelaw 23.1).

Try not to worry at this stage though! :beer:

storm08

Thanks for replies. To be honest don't want to go into too much details reagrding the ticket, etc as worried about who may be reading the forums...

I am getting confused... Can the TO bring a criminal prosecution or will it be civil?

Stigy... The RPO firstly told me that she would get my details and address as registered with the ticket. Then she asked for my address. TBH the only reason I didnt give it was due to her attitude and the fact that she had already announced my name and dob to the carriage twice. Stupid I know, I just wish she had told me it was an offence not to give my address and I would have given it. I just assumed that she would have no real difficulty getting it.

Yes I am 100% that it has been reported. I can't really go into full details but the more I look at it I am stuffed. Still waiting to hear from them (but then they have got to dig out my address so...)

Does anyone know if paying a penalty fare gets you a criminal record?

geordieracer

Not paying a penalty fare will get you a criminal record. Paying it will not.

Your worried about who reads the forums? There were over 1.2 billion train journeys last year so take your tin foil hat off and just let us know if it was a season or whatever. It really would help to have as much nfo as possible rather then eeking it out over a few pages.

Livingthedream

storm08 wrote: »

I am getting confused... Can the TO bring a criminal prosecution or will it be civil?

For what you described it will be a criminal prosecution seen in a Magistrates Court. That's if you let it get that far, if/when you get a letter from the Train company, you try option 2 that I stated earlier and it's a first offence there's a good chance that the Train company will ask you to pay an admin charge and that will be end of story, herefore, £100ish No Prosecution No criminal record.

storm08 wrote: »

I can't really go into full details but the more I look at it I am stuffed.

The more you tell us, the more we can help, just leave personnal info out. You might get the odd Troll pointing the finger, just ignore them.

storm08 wrote: »

Does anyone know if paying a penalty fare gets you a criminal record?

You would have had the Penalty fare issued to you at the time of the incident by the RPI/O, so if you haven't got one now your not going to get one in the future for this incident.

adf682

I had a run in with one of these revenue protection officers around a year ago, I'd overslept and missed my destination and she woke me up by prodding me with a pen and then cautioned me and loudly asked me questions in front of the whole carriage, it was an EMT rush hour train into St Pancras. I took offence to this and she became rather abrupt and said i would definitely be prosecuted and could be detained by police if I did not answer her question truthfully....she was asking me for my home address and as I've lived in Hong Kong for 4 sodding years I could not give a UK one, she would not accept this as my home address or the hotel I was staying in either. I replied 'not my fault' she then said she was going to call the police, who where waiting as the train arrived at St Pancras, to cut a long story short they accepted my story laughed at her and a month later a solicitors letter found its way to me and I paid their fees and the ticket price just to get it over and done with.

If you have a run in with one of these people don't worry they will spout the law at you for a number of reasons but in reality they are low paid unskilled workers given a little to much.....and to quote my solicitor ' you really have to question the sort of person that would do that for a job' He also said that he would find it most unusual for the police to detain someone for not complying with a revenue bod, and if they did as soon as he got their you'd be straight out without a caution, and on looking into it you would most definitely have to be a persistent offender to stand a chance of +ve verdict in court.

If you have a run in with one, just go along with it, take it on the chin and you'll get a nasty letter or a penalty fare. If your a persistent offender well that different, but in conclusion pitty these little people.

Livingthedream

adf682 wrote: »

If you have a run in with one of these people don't worry they will spout the law at you for a number of reasons but in reality they are low paid unskilled workers given a little to much.....and to quote my solicitor ' you really have to question the sort of person that would do that for a job'

With that attitude, I just can't understand why someone would want to prosecute you

adf682 wrote: »

He also said that he would find it most unusual for the police to detain someone for not complying with a revenue bod,

Because not giving a verifiable name and address could be interpreted as an attempt at fare evasion which is a criminal offence, therefore, a Police matter.

adf682 wrote: »

and if they did as soon as he got their you'd be straight out without a caution, and on looking into it you would most definitely have to be a persistent offender to stand a chance of +ve verdict in court.

Lots of people are prosecuted each year for fare evasion, who ain't persistent offenders. The decision is made by the Train Company prosecution's dept after looking at all the evidence not you or your solicitor. If the prosecution's dept think it's in the advantage of the Train Company to settle out of court (more profit) then they will, if they see any attempt at fraud then they will prosecute.

adf682 wrote: »

If you have a run in with one, just go along with it, take it on the chin and you'll get a nasty letter or a penalty fare.

Some better advice, how about buying a ticket for your journey.

adf682 wrote: »

but in conclusion pitty these little people.

Unfortunately pitty won't avoid a Penalty fare or Prosecution if you're in the wrong.

Premier_2

adf682 wrote: »

I had a run in with one of these revenue protection officers around a year ago, I'd overslept and missed my destination and she woke me up by prodding me with a pen and then cautioned me and loudly asked me questions in front of the whole carriage, it was an EMT rush hour train into St Pancras. I took offence to this and she became rather abrupt and said i would definitely be prosecuted and could be detained by police if I did not answer her question truthfully....she was asking me for my home address and as I've lived in Hong Kong for 4 sodding years I could not give a UK one, she would not accept this as my home address or the hotel I was staying in either. I replied 'not my fault' she then said she was going to call the police, who where waiting as the train arrived at St Pancras, to cut a long story short they accepted my story laughed at her and a month later a solicitors letter found its way to me and I paid their fees and the ticket price just to get it over and done with.

If you have a run in with one of these people don't worry they will spout the law at you for a number of reasons but in reality they are low paid unskilled workers given a little to much.....and to quote my solicitor ' you really have to question the sort of person that would do that for a job' He also said that he would find it most unusual for the police to detain someone for not complying with a revenue bod, and if they did as soon as he got their you'd be straight out without a caution, and on looking into it you would most definitely have to be a persistent offender to stand a chance of +ve verdict in court.

If you have a run in with one, just go along with it, take it on the chin and you'll get a nasty letter or a penalty fare. If your a persistent offender well that different, but in conclusion pitty these little people.

I think you are decending into the realms of fantasy here! :cool:

Jeff_Bridges_hair

Premier wrote: »

I think you are decending into the realms of fantasy here! :cool:

Me too. but it gave me a laugh

adf682 wrote: »

.and to quote my solicitor ' you really have to question the sort of person that would do that for a job' He also said that he would find it most unusual for the police to detain someone for not complying with a revenue bod, and if they did as soon as he got their you'd be straight out without a caution, and on looking into it you would most definitely have to be a persistent offender to stand a chance of +ve verdict in court.

.

This is obviously not a solicitor who deals with ticket irregularities and prosecutions on the railway then and as such knows not a lot about it. Those that do charge an arm and a leg for their services.

good little troll got some bites though and so their job is done