Terror-hit France to put THOUSANDS of armed undercover marshals on national train network

TRAINS across France will be patrolled by 3,000 armed security guards - many dressed as civilians - in a bid to better protect travellers from terror attacks.

The so-called ‘train marshals’ will have a similar role to ‘sky marshals’ - plainclothes security guards armed with guns whose job is to protect commercial airliners from skyjacking.

Thousands of railway security guards are already allowed on trains on the national service, SNCF, carrying truncheons and handcuffs but a bill has finally been passed to arm them with guns.

But the new decree under the Savary law would allow train marshals to carry similar firearms to the ones carried by regular police officers, and will also allow them to patrol undercover.

Railway chiefs have pushed for the extreme action in light of the increasing terror threat to hit the country.

 

The new decree would allow train marshals to carry similar firearms to regular police officers

Last August, five civilians tackled and subdued a heavily-armed gunman,‎ Moroccan extremist Ayoub El Khazzani, as he opened fire on the high-speed train, saving the lives of scores of people.

In April, some eight months after the attack, Guillaume Pépy, the president of the SNCF, confirmed the train company would be upping its security measures, and that passengers should be able to board trains in “peace”.

These new security measures come under the ‘Loi Savary,’ a law finally now enacted to “prevent and combat incivilities, public security threats, and terrorist attacks on public transport”.

A spokesperson for the SNCF said: “These new security measures could be implemented soon, but we need to be given enough time to gear up our security agents and teach them safe gun handling techniques.”

 

The Savary law already gives security agents the right to carry out identity checks and to go through a passenger’s bag once they are inside the station.

According to the SNCF, the new law will not only allow the train marshals to carry a gun, but also enable them to collaborate more closely with the police force on key operations.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/707850/Terror-hit-France-THOUSANDS-armed-undercover-marshals-national-train-network