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Rail industry brings community safety partners together

A unique event bringing together over 130 delegates from a broad spectrum of stakeholders engaged in railway community safety took place this month.

Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), on behalf of the industry organised the 3rd Annual Railway Community Safety Forum 2007 on 14 March, at Aston Villa FC in Birmingham.

The event combined an engaging mix of workshops and presentations as well as a comprehensive exhibition to showcase the wide range of initiatives and activities the rail industry and are investing in, to encourage community safety practitioners to share good practice.

Delegates had the opportunity to meet the British Transport Police drugs dog, be scanned by Operation Shield’s metal detectors and meet the organisers of some of the diversionary activities the industry supports, such as Network Rail’s “No Messin’” campaign days involving, amongst others, the British Wrestling Association.

Highlighting best practice

The event was opened by James Burt, Operations Director, South West Trains and Chairman of the Rail Personal Security Group, who was keen to stress that partnership both within the rail industry itself and with local communities and other key stakeholders is critical to success in this area. Speaking at the event, James Burt said,
"Partnership is alive and well but there’s still a lot to do. There is tremendous passion amongst all stakeholders, all doing great things. Now we need to look at ways of better connecting all this passion as well as replicating the measures that are proven to work."

Burt announced a cross-industry review of the mainline rail industry’s arrangements for managing the business risk posed by crime and misbehaviour on the railway. Chris Leech, in addition to his youth and community liaison role in Northern Rail, has begun a three day per month secondment to RSSB to undertake this.

Burt also emphasised the need to be alert to new developments for the good of the industry as a whole, such as neighbourhood policing.

“We want to help make neighbourhood policing more than just the latest 'initiative' but a real step forward in reducing crime and the fear of crime on the railways,” Burt said.

Back to School

The event also included the observation of a railway safety lesson taught to a group of year 6 children from Birchfield Community School, Birmingham. The schoolchildren were shown a short video demonstrating the dangers of trespassing on the railway and then Chris Leech, Youth and Community Liaison Officer with Northern Rail and Steve Wareing, Area Safety Co-ordinator for the British Transport Police, quizzed them on their own safety awareness.

Moira Foster-Brown, Headteacher at Birchfield Community School, said: “We are grateful to be invited by Rail Safety and Standards Board to attend events like this because it is vital that our pupils get to understand and learn about important issues such as railway crime and anti-social behaviour.

“The safety of pupils is a paramount priority and I am glad that those who attended had the opportunity to participate and learn about the dangers of trespassing.”