Case Study: Keolis Amey Docklands – tackling work-related violence

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, KAD’s customer experience team were aware that the communities they were serving were struggling and needed support. KAD worked with local councils, food banks and other charities to address issues such as homelessness, unemployment and mental health difficulties.

They also recognised the economic challenges faced by the local communities, and so reviewed how frontline staff collected and protected revenue. The aim was to ensure frontline colleagues could do this sympathetically.

During the pandemic, the roles of some front-line staff changed. This meant that some were not checking tickets and that new members of staff were not introduced to those duties until the last lockdown was lifted in early 2022. To tackle this issue, it was decided to reintegrate revenue protection into all relevant roles and ensure staff felt confident in approaching customers. KAD provided extra training and partnered less confident colleagues with those who excelled at revenue collection. 

With the introduction of body worn cameras KAD experienced challenges, which became evident as none of the reported WRV incidents in the first period of 2022 were captured on camera. To better understand these barriers, KAD worked with Trade Unions and raised awareness on the important role body worn cameras play in evidence collection.

KAD also created a learning culture, where mistakes are seen as opportunities for learning and not something people feel they would be punished for. This gave staff the opportunity to consider how to avoid WRV instances where relevant.

WRV data from BTP and KAD were combined to identify key areas where BT officers could be deployed. For eight weeks patrols became more visible, targeting antisocial behaviour, in addition to undercover patrol. KAD also worked with the BTP to find improvements in how information is reported, what needs to be reported and how quickly it can be reported. To understand and improve WRV reporting, KAD worked with colleagues who were not reporting assaults to the BTP to understand barriers to reporting.

Since implementing this new approach, KAD has seen a consistent drop in incidents and experienced zero assaults on colleagues in September 2022 compared to 6 assaults on colleagues in April 2022. Anti-social behaviour has reduced by 80%. Reports of verbal abuse have slightly increased. Evidence shows verbal abuse tends to be underreported in the rail industry. It’s possible that this increase may represent a more accurate level and may, therefore, be a good sign.

KAD has set up WRV dashboard where relevant information such as type of incident, incident counts and locations is shown. They have integrated data from their internal reporting system with BTP data, to ensure a more accurate picture of the issue, which has been key for developing a strategy and measuring outcomes.

KAD reviewed staff feedback through sessions with colleagues and pulse surveys. Andrew Dickinson, KAD’s Service Delivery Director, explains:

“Colleagues were rightly concerned at the end of Covid restrictions as physical assaults were on the rise and reassurance and support was clearly needed to ensure we acted quickly on this matter. By working collaboratively we are talking more about these incidents, what we can learn from them to prevent it happening and having the support of the BTP as a result of better reporting and more physical presence on the DLR. Colleagues have been supportive in their personal development required and participated in open conversations about the problem and the solutions ensuring that isn’t just a ‘management’ action.”

Having experienced impressive results so far, the organisation is committed to continuously review their approach and improve. KAD is particularly keen to reduce verbal abuse, further increase the use of body worn cameras and repeat operation roster.

Furthermore, having identified the need for staff to assist members of the public who might be struggling with mental health difficulties, KAD plans to roll out mental health awareness training to front-line staff. This will ensure staff are adequately equipped to deal with these situations and can signpost to appropriate support.