BRITISH Transport Police officers will be advising people how to keep their luggage and possessions safe and secure during journeys this summer.

Teams of officers will travel in relay between London Paddington and Penzance on board First Great Western’s 12.06pm departure from Paddington today.

Officers will offer advice and safety tips, as well as handing out leaflets and answering any questions or concerns passengers may have about keeping their possessions safe.

The initiative, which involves BTP officers from Reading, Oxford, Exeter, Plymouth and Truro, follows the launch in 2013 of Operation Magnum, a crackdown on theft of passengers’ property.

Sgt Steve Reay, who has organised the initiative, said: “Thieves use a variety of tactics, from brazenly snatching expensive smartphones and tablets from distracted passengers’ hands to stealing luggage and valuables from on board trains.

You can report a theft on the railway on Freefone 0800 40 50 40.