Great Western Coffee Shop

Helping keep vulnerable people safe update

A performance update from James Royal, SWR’s Performance Strategy Manager

The rail industry places the highest priority on safety, and we, along with Network Rail are responsible for keeping passengers, and those who live or work near the railway, safe.

We’re working together to support the introduction of Trespass and Welfare Officers at stations on our network that have historically seen fatalities - including people taking their own lives - and trespass incidents.

Since January there have been 37 fatalities on the Wessex network we operate, and each one is a tragedy that impacts the victims and their families, train drivers, staff and passengers.

Noticeable in their high-viz vests, these officers help customers using our stations to stay safe by offering simple safety advice - e.g. staying behind the yellow line - but are also professionally trained in line with the Samaritans guidelines to step-in and help vulnerable individuals when needed. Since August, these officers have intervened on 30 occasions where individuals have been in distress.

Not only dangerous and illegal, trespassing also causes significant disruption to our services. Between January and September this year, there were 733 incidents which resulted in nearly 89,000 minutes of delay for our customers because of the knock-on impact of trains needing to stop, ensure the vicinity is clear and the individual is safe before services can continue. Over the last three months, more than 3,000 instances have been recorded where they’ve intervened to prevent a trespassing incident or safety issue that could have caused disruption to services.

Re Trespass and Welfare Officers, I think these are provided under contract to Network Rail. I can't find anything from NR, but STM Group list this (https://www.stmsecurity.com/stm-services/transport-services/) as one of their rail industry activities. They started recruiting them last year.

Their role must, inevitably, overlap with that of the security officers/guards provided for the last twelve years by Land Sheriffs. (They have a sign tied to the fence by Wokingham station level crorsing.) They were, AIUI, concerned with trespass onto lines as much as the security of buildings and premises.

In my recent experience of SWR, most services tend to be 10 or 12 car and stopping at all/most stations. Connections tend to be pretty awful, so I make sure I have a book to read.

Possibly anticipating your return journey, the connections from Southempton seem to arrive about three minutes after the "Reading Flyer" leaves, so roughly an hour's wait and back to the book.

Many thanks for that ... reads rather that the name is an encoded title for a role looking to reduce "person hit my train". Is having specialists for this purpose - and appearing not to be doing other work while they observe - really more effective than having most staff keeping an eye open whilst about their normal tasks?

21st August 2019
Spate of railway deaths prompts welfare patrols at Pokesdown station
By Jane Reader  Senior Reporter

WELFARE officers and security staff are patrolling at Pokesdown station following a spate of deaths on the railway.

Network Rail has introduced Land Sheriffs and Trespass and Welfare Officers to provide a round-the clock service in a bid to save lives.,

The move has been welcomed by the Samaritans and by members of the community.

Mark Wildey, branch director of Samaritans in Bournemouth, said: "We hope this is part of a long-term commitment to make the area safe.

"We’ve been down there a few times and have seen the station manned by either Land Sheriffs or Trespass and Welfare Officers. We have spoken to them and we are trying to build a good working relationship with them."

He said the intention is for all Network Rail staff to be trained by the Samaritans in dealing with and managing potentially vulnerable people. Nationally more than 20,000 people have received the training so far.

He added: "Having been down to there with one of my colleagues as part of an assessment of the station, if there is no one there looking out for people, it can be a very lonely place.

"Having people there looking out for others is great to see. I do believe that they have already intervened so having that presence at the station can only be a good thing."

Land Sheriffs have been working with Network Rail for 12 years and carry out a number of different roles including lifesaving work. They are part of a dedicated professional security task force.

According to signs put up on the station platforms, the Land Sheriffs use "covert devices and thermal imaging cameras" and a mixture of "high-tech security monitoring through CCTV and trackside patrols".

Trespass and Welfare Officers keep an eye out for pedestrians who have failed to pay or those in a vulnerable situation, having received training from the Samaritans.

Local residents have taken to social media to praise the initiative.

One said: "Finally they have security at Pokesdown station. Sadly too many lives went before but hopefully this is a positive solution."

Recent deaths in Pokesdown have included a 16-year-old schoolgirl who died in March, a 27-year-old man who died in June and a man in his 60s who died in July.

Anyone affected by the story can contact Samaritans free of charge, 24-hours-a-day on 116 123.

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/mkm_20200819_02.jpg)

Lessons from the day ...

Felt safe - the "biggie" is the lack of decent connections ...  between thin services which discourages use ...  

I may or may not admit to the being the little lad who left a tap running seventy years, flooding the floor ...

I guess that flood is probably a large lake (or maybe ocean) if the tap is still running after 70 years  ;D