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Surveillance On The London

Underground
The London underground is a vast network used
by thousands of people each day and is probably
the easiest and quickest mode of transport within
London. Because targets of surveillance can
frequently and easily use the underground
system, we have to adopt certain procedures
when dealing with this situation.

The main problem as far as surveillance is concerned is the fact that the surveillance
team under ground have limited or no communications with the world on top.
Conventional radios do not work to those above the surface but do work very well to
those others under ground at the same time. The latest secure ‘Airwave’ radios (used
by Police and other Agencies) rely on the mobile phone system (for encryption and
unlimited range) and so are unreliable underground at this moment in time. They do
have a facility to switch to operate as a conventional radio but this means having to
fiddle about with the set concealed under clothing and so risk compromise if seen
doing so.

The Tube – The London Underground Rail System

Our target heads for a tube station, the person in

control reports, ‘That’s ‘Alpha 1’ towards Bond Street
Tube Station. Everyone on the team should now
switch on and expect to really close up on the target
before he down into the Tube system and is lost in
the crowds.

These days, with the advent of Oyster Travel Cards

the days of a surveillance operator getting very close
to the target as he obtains a ticket from a machine are more or less gone. Pre-
Oyster, the drill was to get in close to the target, attempt to identify the destination
and pass this information ‘up top’ so that they can dispatch a surveillance car, taxi or
a motorbike to cover the destination and provide support. If the target has an Oyster
Card, he is straight through the barriers and into the system with no indication of his
destination that can really hinder a surveillance operation.

©ISS Training Limited

Each member of the team should also be in
possession of one of these magic cards to
enable them to freely move about the
underground system. Their best cover to
remain covert is the hundreds of other people
around them going about their daily business.

The team (four people or more) will get in very

close to the target, on the escalators down
and within the tunneled walkways. On a
packed platform, at least one operator will have ‘eyes on’ the target with the others in
close proximity but using other commuters as cover or waiting on a nearby opposing
platform.

When on the train, an operator could be within reach of

the target and one or two other team members may be
in the same carriage. Ideally they should be spread
about the train on different carriages all within visual
contact with each other. Trouble can start when the
target makes to get off the train. It may be difficult for an
operator to talk on the radio when he is surrounded in
close quarters by commuters and so a covert method of
‘clicks’ is adopted to alert the team by pressing the
radios pressel switch. These presses transmit tones
which the operators can hear via their covert earpieces
in a very simplified form of Morse Code alerting of when
the target starts to get of the train or if he remains on it.

Whilst on the train, the team will be conscious of their covert equipment remaining
covert. Whilst a wireless earpiece can look much like a hearing aid or a Walkman
headset, a radio pressel switch could be mistaken for the business end of a suicide
bomb and someone bumping into you with a radio on your hip can receive a
questioning look.

When the Target gets off the train, the team have to keep close control amongst the
heavy crowds. Some of the team may end up in front of the target at this stage,
which is not always ideal but they will ‘peel off’ when they can, to get out of thei
targets view. Hopefully, all of the team would have heard the rapid series of tones
indicating that the target is getting off the train. Otherwise they are trapped on it until
the next stop and the surveillance team has now been reduced by half – not good.

On the escalators, an operator will decide,

shall I be right behind him or shall I give him
some distance. Much of the decision is now
down to how aware the target it is and
whether he is likely to be looking for
surveillance. An operator will be close as the
crowds will allow for and will stand behind
others for cover. Just leaning slightly to the
right and holding onto the handrail helps as
this drops the right shoulder and lowers your
profile slightly without appearing to be hiding.

©ISS Training Limited

The top of the escalator can be a dangerous
place because the target can turn sharply to get
onto another line or can go through the exit
barriers. One of the worst targets to follow on
the underground is one who does not really
know where he is going or how to get there.
Rather than keep moving at a steady pace,
which is good for the followers, he frequently
stops and starts whilst looking at the maps or
signage, which is a real challenge to any
surveillance team.

Exiting the station can also be testing. The team is up close and personal and all of a
sudden you are out onto a quiet open street. Conversely, and equally testing, is
coming out of the tube at Tottenham Court Road or Oxford Circus which is packed
solid with pedestrians and keeping control.

Surveillance on the London Underground is certainly a challenge but not impossible.

It takes a practiced and well rehearsed team to keep control. We recently completed
a three day training course in London, purely based on foot and using the public
transport and the course performed exceptionally well in such a short space of time.
If you carry out surveillance work predominantly in the City or just want to progress
your current surveillance skills, come and visit us.

ISS Training Ltd www.intelsecurity.co.uk

Riverside Cottages
Nidd Walk
Pateley Bridge
Harrogate
HG3 5NA
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 1423 712265
Email: Info@intelsecurity.co.uk

Originally published in EyeSpy Magazine 2008,

Issue 55

No p a rt o f t h is d o c u m e n t m a y b e re p r o d u c e d b y a n y m e a n s, n o r tra n sm i tte d , n o r
tra n sla te d i n to m a c h in e la n g u a g e , wi th o u t wr itte n p e rm issio n o f th e p u b lish e r.
Th e rig h t o f Pe te r J e n k in s t o b e id e n tifie d a s th e a u th o r o f th e wo r k h a s b e e n a sse r te d b y h im in a c c o rd a n c e with
th e Co p y rig h t, De sig n s a n d P a te n ts A c t 1 9 8 8

©ISS Training Limited