-
more than 170 stations accredited to Secure Stations
Scheme in year since its major refresh, helping tackle crime
and ensure safer journeys
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over a quarter of all Britain’s stations now accredited
by the British Transport Police
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refreshed scheme now assesses approaches taken to
safeguarding and suicide prevention
Hundreds of Britain’s railway stations are setting the standard
in reducing crime, safeguarding vulnerable people and ensuring
safer journeys for passengers, Rail Minister announced today (21 January
2018).
On a visit to East Croydon Station, recently accredited as a
secure station by the British Transport Police (BTP), the Rail Minister met
with Southern station staff who are helping to make every
passenger’s journey safer.
More than 673 stations across Britain are now accredited by
the BTP, with
172 stations either newly-accredited or re-accredited since the
launch of the refreshed Secure Stations Scheme in 2017.
The minister also met with BTP officers and charities
including Samaritans and the Railway Children, who all engage
with passengers to ensure they feel supported and safe on
Britain’s railways.
Rail Minister, said:
The Secure Stations Scheme forms part of the exceptional work
British Transport Police, station staff and charities do every
single day to give passengers the safe journeys they deserve.
More than 170 stations are now newly or re-accredited under the
refreshed scheme, demonstrating an outstanding commitment to
tackling crime and safeguarding passengers.
It is particularly poignant and important today to commend the
incredible work being done on suicide prevention, ensuring we
protect vulnerable people on our railways.
British Transport Police Chief Constable, Paul Crowther said:
Tackling crime and safeguarding the most vulnerable on the
railway is one of our key priorities and we’re pleased to see
that more than 170 stations have now been accredited under the
refreshed Secure Stations Scheme – helping passengers and staff
feel safer across the rail the rail network.
The chance of becoming a victim of crime whilst travelling or
working on the network remains comparatively low – on average
there are only 19 recorded crimes for every million passenger
journeys. Secure stations is an important initiative, acting as
a national benchmark that police, rail industry and government
can work towards making stations an even safer and low crime
environment.
Patrick Verwer, Chief Executive of Govia Thameslink Railway which
operates Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express services
through the station, said:
Achieving this accolade here at East Croydon once again is an
important achievement. The scheme forms an important part of
the excellent work our staff deliver with our industry partners
to keep passengers safe and secure.
Samaritans Chief Executive Officer, Ruth Sutherland said:
Samaritans has been working with the railway industry since
2010 to prevent suicide and provide advice, training and access
to our service. Samaritans has now trained more than 17,000
railway staff to spot vulnerable people on the network and
intervene to help them.
We see partnerships as playing a vital part in achieving our
vision of reducing suicide. They allow us to reach vulnerable
groups that may not otherwise contact Samaritans.
We join up with organisations from a variety of sectors,
including health, education/young people, transport,
construction and the services. We look forward to continuing to
do this and save more lives in the future.
Pete Kent, Programme Director at Railway Children said:
Railway Children is committed to supporting vulnerable children
across the country who are using the rail network to run from
violence, abuse and neglect.
Last year, BTP generated more than
8,000 referral reports in connection with vulnerable children
they encountered at railway stations. Our partnership with them
has enabled us to offer follow-up support to 350 of these
children as well as intensive work with 40 of the most
vulnerable ones. With ongoing support from the rail industry we
will make stations safer places for many more children.
We are delighted that the Secure Stations Scheme includes
safeguarding as a key indicator and we congratulate East
Croydon on their achievement in being given this award, and in
making their contribution to ensure all children are safe on
our railway.
Originally launched in 1998, the Secure Stations Scheme provides
station operators with the chance to demonstrate how they are
working with partners to make journeys as safe as possible.
The national scheme covers all rail networks which are policed by
the British Transport Police. A range of factors are assessed
before a station can be granted accreditation, including
visibility, lighting, CCTV, safeguarding of
vulnerable people and crime data at the station in question.
