Community Safety Groups

The RSSB's National Programmes, Railway Operations team facilitates cross-industry groups that are focussed on understanding the risk from inappropriate public behaviour and sharing good practice that will help to manage the risk.

Each of the groups is allocated to a programme manager from the team who provides an administrative service to the group and who will also manage projects and tasks arising from the group's activity.

Community Safety Industry Architecture

Community Safety Steering Group
Purpose	Facilitate progressive improvement of community safety through understanding of the risks, sponsorship, development and promotion of justifiable and effective campaigns, programmes and tools.
Chaired	A representative from an approved railway SMS holder elected by the members of the group (including the Chair) on a two year basis.
RSSB Programme Manager	Maurice Wilsdon ( Maurice.Wilsdon@rssb.co.uk )
Membership	ATOC, British Transport Police, Network Rail, Passenger Focus, RSSB and Train Operating Companies
Outputs	Annual stewardship report, including a review of the group’s performance against objectives. Report presented to sector groups and to Board of RSSB. 5-year Business Plan Input into BTP policing planning process A guide to the relationships between the sector groups, sub-groups and regional groups Communications products including trackoff website and Update newsletter Annual Railway Community Safety Forum Quality research capable of adding value to the management of risk Training materials; good practice guides; DVDs; conferences and campaigns
Logistics	Meets every 3 months

Rail Personal Security Group
Purpose	To raise the profile of personal security on the railway and to reduce the impact of assaults on passengers and all those who work on the railway. To fulfil this role the group will: Identify and share good practice in countering the risks from violence towards staff and customers Provide guidance and tools for local managers Commission appropriate national campaigns Contribute to the content and objectives of the Railway Strategic Safety Plan and the British Transport Police Annual Policing Plan Recommend topics suitable for research and development by RSSB Act as a stakeholder for elements of the RSSB public behaviour research programme (see http://www.rssb.co.uk/RESEARCH/Pages/ResearchTopicsAndProjects2.aspx).
Chaired	An elected member of the group
RSSB Programme Manager	Alan Davies (Alan.Davies@rssb.co.uk)
Membership	ATOC, British Transport Police, Department for Transport, Home Office, London Underground, Network Rail, Office of Rail Regulation, Passenger Focus, RSSB, Train Operating Companies and Unions (RMT, TSSA).
Outputs	Build a framework of measures for the industry to achieve longer term improvements in personal security, working to a set of priority actions, agreed annually.
Logistics	Meets every 3 months
More information	For more information about RPSG and it's projects please visit http://www.rssb.co.uk/NP/Pages/RailPersonalSecurityGroup(RPSG).aspx

Rail Football Forum
Purpose	The Rail Football Forum (RFF) is a high-level forum at which railway, football, government and police organisations work together with the following key aims: Improve the experience of all football fans travelling on the GB railway in order to encourage more fans to attend matches and to travel by rail to matches Identify and implement strategies for dealing with football fans that persistently cause trouble when travelling by rail to matches, ensuring a safe and pleasant environment for other fans, passengers, rail staff and police on the trains and at the stations.
Chaired	Premier League representative
RSSB Programme Manager	Maurice Wilsdon (Maurice.Wilsdon@rssb.co.uk )
Membership	Arriva, DB Schenker, First Group, Govia, Network Rail, Passenger Focus, RSSB, Stagecoach, Virgin Trains, Transport for London, BTP, Football Association, Premier League, Football Supporters Federation and Association of Provincial Football Supporters Clubs in London.
Outputs	The outputs from its meetings are initiatives intended to provide mutually beneficial solutions to football related problems. At the present time, the RFF members are progressing the following key initiatives: Code of Conduct – agreed words for how fans are expected to behave on the railways (based on existing railway byelaws). The aim is that all fans signing up to travel schemes will be asked to sign up to the code as a perquisite for membership to football travel schemes. Mutually beneficial travel schemes – accredited football supporter clubs travel in dedicated coaches, stewarded by the football club stewards. National Strategy for dealing with unruly fans – football clubs and football supporter clubs assist with self-policing, eg stewards on trains, identification of unruly fans, match bans and/or removal of season tickets. Improved information flow – fans are provided with more up-to-date information on optimum routes, engineering works, alcohol policy etc. These initiatives are being delivered as a ‘package’ of measures and are presently being trialled or about to be trialled in a number of pilot studies.
Logistics	Quarterly meetings

Road-Rail Interface Safety Group (R-RISG)
Purpose	The role of the Road-Rail Interface Safety Group is to steer the work of the rail industry in increasing awareness of the hazards and risk at level crossings, bridge strikes and other incursions by motor vehicles onto the railway, arising from inappropriate behaviour. To examine public policy and make recommendations to simplify and consolidate regulatory matters covering safety at the road-rail interface, including road traffic and highway matters, planning guidelines for development and the effective prosecution of offenders in the interest of public safety. Act as a sponsor for research work to understand the reason for inappropriate behaviour that leads to level crossing risk and bridge strikes and seek measures to reduce the risk. Maintain contact with similar groups from other countries to share good practice on the road-rail interface. The group will participate in the European Level Crossing Forum.
Chaired	Network Rail
RSSB Programme Manager	Alan Davies (Alan.Davies@rssb.co.uk)
Membership	ATOC, British Transport Police, County Surveyors Society, Department for Transport, Network Rail, Office of Rail Regulation, RSSB
Outputs	The group will: Act as an interested stakeholder in relevant research projects carried out by RSSB. Participate in the Law Commission's review of Level Crossing legislation. Hold an information forum annually for interested member of public stakeholder groups Monitor the work done by Network Rail and local authorities to implement the protocol for management of accidental obstruction of the railways by road vehicles. Monitor the work of the Road-Rail Partnership Groups set up by Network Rail with local authorities. Work with the DfT on its review of road signage, considering new technology and road users understanding of signs. Support Network Rail where it seeks to close crossings or develop and install new technology to improve safety and rail performance at the road-rail interface. (see http://www.rssb.co.uk/RESEARCH/Pages/ResearchTopicsAndProjects2.aspx)
Logistics	Meets every 3 months

Community Safety Communications Group
Purpose	Develop and deliver Community Safety communication projects including the Annual Railway Community Safety Forum, Trackoff Railway Safety Education website and other Community Safety Initiatives
Chaired	RSSB
RSSB Programme Manager	Kerry Dolan (Kerry.dolan@rssb.co.uk)
Membership	British Transport Police, Network Rail, Office of Rail Regulation, RSSB and Train Operating Companies
Outputs	Deliverables from each project
Logistics	Meets every 2 months

European Level Crossing Forum (ELCF)

The ELCF is an informal group that brings together key rail and highway professionals from European countries, to exchange information and provide experiences and lessons for improving safety management of level crossings.

Each year several hundred people die across Europe on accidents involving road vehicles and pedestrians at level crossings. This is about 2% of all road deaths, but they can account for 30% of all rail accidents. Engaging with highway authorities, will support a greater understanding of the risk to the railway of road-user misbehaviour and develop, risk control as a bi-modal issue.

The forum was started as an initiative arising from the 8th Level Crossing Safety and Trespass Symposium held in Sheffield in 2004 and after the EU disbanded a level crossing group of the High Level Road Group. The first meeting was held in London and subsequent meetings have been hosted in a different country each time, in order to:

Help promote a closer understanding of the level crossing issues in the host country;
Experience, first hand, safety developments and practices at level crossings in the host country;
Present an opportunity for road and rail safety specialists in the host country to be exposed to an international perspective on level crossing issues.

The following are examples of ELCF’s core subject areas:

Evaluating the risk at level crossings
Economics of level crossings
Engineering (road and rail working together)
Cooperation and partnership
Education, including the annual International Level Crossing Awareness Day, where national campaigns are co-ordinated across all ELCF member states, with a common message
Human Factors, including signing at level crossings
Enforcement

The forum is currently chaired by Alan Davies of RSSB and administered by UIC. The UK is represented by RSSB (Michael Woods), Network Rail, ORR and Translink (Northern Ireland).

For further information please contact alan.davies@rssb.co.uk

Global Links

Some Industry Topics

Community Safety Groups