Here is a story from "The Land Down Under" about how they want to deal with people who don't pay their subway fare. Apparently they think the way to deal with them is to handcuff them!

A PLAN to arm Melbourne's Connex ticket inspectors with handcuffs has left a union and the State Government at loggerheads.

A committee that includes rail operator Connex, the Rail, Tram and Bus Union and the Infrastructure Department discussed handcuffs as a way to prevent assaults on staff and stop fare evaders escaping.

But last night Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky vetoed the idea after learning of community anger at the proposal.

"The Government is not considering any such proposal and would not give permission for authorised officers to be equipped with handcuffs," Ms Kosky's spokeswoman, Louise Perry, said.

RTBU state secretary Trevor Dobbyn said he was surprised by Ms Kosky's action.

"We had a joint working party looking at the training, staffing levels of authorised officers, and the sort of equipment used by their counterparts interstate, including the option of handcuffs," he said.

"So it's a bit surprising that the minister has come out and unilaterally vetoed that process without any discussion or consultation with the parties."

Mr Dobbyn said handcuffs were worth considering because his members were often forced to hold down people affected by alcohol and drugs.

"Our officers get publicly vilified for what looks like an assault on someone, but in fact they are trying to restrain them after they've been arrested," he said.

The committee started exploring the idea of handcuffs after attacks on rail staff.

Officers report hundreds of incidents a year.

Many have been punched, kicked, bitten and threatened with weapons.

Authorised officers have the power to arrest and detain commuters who break the law, but they lack tools to restrain people until police arrive.

The power to handcuff unruly passengers exists in the Sydney and Perth rail systems.

Before Ms Kosky's intervention, a trial was being considered this year on problem lines such as Belgrave, Lilydale and Sandringham.

Connex chief executive Bruce Hughes said problems arose for officers when offenders tried to resist or flee.

"It causes the biggest problem and looks quite spectacular when you've got two or three people around an individual trying to hang on to him without any physical restraints," he said.

"The argument is that handcuffs will take a lot of the theatre out of that."

Note: Train inspectors to handcuff fare-evaders?