North East train passengers urged to treat staff with respect
It's part of Northern's new campaign against anti-social behaviour
If you're having a drink and catching a train in the North East and Teesside over Christmas, the message from workers is to treat them with respect.
Northern has appealed to Christmas party revellers to treat their traincrew and station staff with respect as part of a new campaign against anti-social behaviour.
So far this year, there have been 182 public order offences committed against Northern staff.
Since 2021, the total figure stands at 745 offences, of which 73 led to a conviction in court.
It was in 2021 that Northern introduced the use of body-worn cameras for its staff.
The cameras, which can be worn by traincrew and station staff, do not record all the time, but instead are used to capture specific incidents as evidence for British Transport Police.
The high-quality footage is suitable for use in criminal cases and has proved useful in securing convictions in court.
Matt Rice, chief operating officer for Northern, said: "Our traincrew and station staff are there to help our customers get where they want to be. They deserve to be treated with respect and the overwhelming majority of our customers do just that.
“However, if anyone does witness any unacceptable behaviour directed towards railway employees, I would urge them to contact British Transport Police.”