Rail union RMT, has called for a greater BTP presence at Southend Victoria and other stations in Essex after youths ran amok jumping ticket barriers on Thursday evening.
Police had been deployed in a major local operation on Tuesday at Southend on Sea and turned away 250 people following a knife seizure at a beach party.
However, video footage seen by RMT, shows youths jumping barriers and pushing past station staff on Thursday evening after 9pm.
Although no violent incidents were reported by union members, the situation was feral, unpredictable and could have escalated quickly.
Kathy Mazur, RMT Regional Organiser said: “The situation our members were in on Thursday night was totally unacceptable and there were no BTP officers in sight.
“BTP officers do an incredibly important job supporting our members and protecting passengers.
“But funding shortfalls over many years need to be addressed so officers can be deployed at Southend Victoria and other stations in the south east on a regular basis.
“When BTP ran visible evening patrols at Kings Cross and St Pancras for three weeks in autumn 2025, staff assaults dropped by 59%, violence by 21%, public-order incidents by 41% and shoplifting by 25%.
“All the evidence suggests when BTP is present stations and on trains, it is a safer travelling environment for staff and passengers.”
RMT criticised the decision by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA) to back a three-year funding deal that will leave BTP facing frontline cuts and creating a less safe railway, back in December 2025.
BTP itself raised concerns at the time, that the third-year funding settlement creates a £2 million hole in its budget and would force reductions in headcount, mainly in frontline roles in 2028/29.
