Rail staff to get body-worn cameras in abuse crackdown
Govia Thameslink Railway say assaults on workers are on the rise
Last updated 28th Jun 2024
Some rail staff in the South are to get body-worn video cameras as part of a major new drive to crack down on anti-social behaviour on trains.
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which runs Southern services, is handing out 1,542 to workers as part of a £2.5 million plan to tackle abuse and disorder.
The company says verbal assaults on staff have gone up by 23% across its network in the last year, while physical assaults have increased by 10% in that time.
The plans also include doubling the number of enforcement officers across the network, hiring more safety staff and developing an education programme for schools.
The concept is being rolled out further following an initial trial in the West Coastway area, between Portsmouth and Brighton, between October and December last year.
Bosses have said the scheme helped to reduce anti-social behaviour incidents by almost 60%.
Samantha Facey, Health, Safety and Security Director at GTR, said:
"The rise in antisocial behaviour is being felt across industries and communities nationwide.
"Whilst we cannot solve the problem on our own, we hope that with increased tools and resources, as well as closer working with other industry partners, we can begin to turn the dial on this kind of behaviour.
“Everyone travelling with us deserves to get home safely, and our colleagues deserve to be treated with respect; physical or verbal abuse of any kind will not be tolerated.
"Our Antisocial Behaviour Improvement Plan not only demonstrates that we are serious about tackling this issue, but we are also seeing positive results since its launch.”
Chief Superintendent at BTP, Chris Casey, added:
"We are focused on ensuring stations and trains remains a safe and pleasant environment for the travelling public and for railway staff.
"We will continue to work closely with our partners in the rail industry and in local communities to tackle and prevent antisocial behaviour, and prosecute those that threaten and abuse others on the railway network.
"We understand how intimidating antisocial behaviour can be, and anyone who witnesses or experiences anti-social behaviour can discreetly contact our text-to-report number 61016 to report the incident without alerting anyone else.”