South Western Railway (SWR) has once again received the highest possible score for safeguarding vulnerable people on its network.
Vulnerable people can include children or adults who are at risk of harm, who are victims of crime, or who are escaping from exploitation or abuse.
For the third year running, SWR has achieved a 100% pass mark for the Safeguarding on Rail Scheme (SRS), with British Transport Police (BTP) congratulating SWR for the “exceptional achievement”.
BTP interviewed senior leaders and station staff, reviewed key documents and visited stations. The result was a 100% pass mark on the assessment and full accreditation for a third consecutive year.
To achieve this score, an organisation cannot simply rely on previous work but must be continually developing and embedding new and improved safeguarding practices.
Since transferring to public ownership last year, SWR has continued to cement its leadership in keeping customers and colleagues safe by:
- Making around 850 body-worn video cameras available to frontline colleagues, with roadshows at traincare depots promoting the benefits for colleague safety, crime deterrence and securing prosecutions.
- Delivering Junior Citizens events to teach Year 6 pupils about rail safety – reaching more than 1,000 children across eight days.
- Enlisting 51 colleagues as Safeguarding Champions, with in-person training to promote safeguarding across the business.
- Co-hosting the second National Safeguarding Conference with fellow publicly owned operator Southeastern, focusing on best practices and shared responsibility for safeguarding across rail operators, police, councils and charities.
- Convening new bi-monthly safeguarding meetings to share intelligence and coordinate responses with police forces, local councils and other train operators in the coastal area from Southampton to Weymouth.
- Launching a new initiative with Railway Children and South Bank Business Improvement District to support vulnerable young people in the London South Bank area, with dedicated outreach worker based at London Waterloo.
Safeguarding training is mandatory for all SWR colleagues, with refresher training every two years.
From this year, Safeguarding Champions will have the opportunity to enhance their skills by completing a Level 3 Safeguarding Support Officer Apprenticeship.
Local Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood said: “Under public ownership, South Western Railway continues to lead the way in protecting passengers and staff on its network.
“This perfect score is a fantastic achievement and shows how using modern technology and working closely with BTP, local partners and charities is helping to make the rail network safer for everyone.”
Grant Robey, Head of Security and Safeguarding for South Western Railway, commented: “To achieve a perfect score in our assessment for a third year running shows the dedication of not just the Security and Safeguarding team but the whole of SWR and how seriously we take the task of safeguarding everyone who travels on our trains and passes through our stations.
“We will continue to work with our charity and stakeholder partners on existing and new initiatives to ensure that we continue to lead the industry in providing the best possible safeguarding for customers and vulnerable people.”
SWR supports White Ribbon UK, recently participating in the ‘race the dark’ event, and is actively involved in preventing and responding to violence against women and girls, including alongside other publicly owned operators in a DFTO working group.
Building on the success of collaborations such as the Safe Space at London Waterloo, which provides a haven at the station for anyone who needs it, and rail safety sessions in schools, the newly integrated SWR and Network Rail Wessex team will apply for the next safeguarding accreditation together.
This will ensure that track and train are aligned on safeguarding commitments as the industry prepares for Great British Railways.
Image credit: South Western Railway