Voice and Influence! West Yorkshire NPT. Issue 11 Spring TWO Royal stories! Page 1 & 2. Rail Safety Reps scheme launched Page 3

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1 West Yorkshire NPT TWO Royal stories! Page 1 & 2 Issue 11 Spring 2012 Rail Safety Reps scheme launched Page 3 Kirklees College dig in! Page 4 Metal theft crackdown Page 5 Dewsbury and Huddersfield Secure Station award Page 6 Contact Us Page 7 Editors: Tony Bilinski & Ben Whitaker Voice and Influence! Sgt Mark Burgess travelled to London with members of Kirklees Voice and Influence team, who work with young people across the borough, to visit HRH Princess Royal at St James s Palace when they were nominated for the Hearing Unheard Voices Campaign Award. Sinead Boyle and Kay Parry, who work for the Voice and Influence Team, which is based next to Huddersfield railway station, approached the Trans Pennine Express team of PC Kevin Webster and PCSOs Jemma Mitchell and Tony Bilinski to see if they could help with train travel for the group. The FTPE NPT got in touch with Kate Lamb, at First Trans Pennine Express, who very kindly provided ten return train tickets to Newcastle.

2 From there the group used the Metro system and went to Gateshead where they met up with members of the Gateshead Youth Assembly. The youth councillors then visited the local Civic Centre, Council Chambers and Mayors Office followed by a surprise meeting with the MP for Gateshead, Ian Mearns. The event was all part of a transport survey and when this is completed the findings will passed on to the full Kirklees Council. Also two members of the group are going to London as part of the British Youth Council to attend a Transport Policy Review. NPT... by Royal Appointment! Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and HRH the Duke of Edinburgh were welcomed into York railway station as they continue their Diamond Jubilee year visits across the country. Leeds NPT officers were involved in securing the station and surrounding area, in addition to being responsible for managing the crowds who welcomed the couple arriving on the Royal Train. On their arrival, the Royal party were met by North East Chief Superintendent Terry Nicholson, local dignitaries, East Coast Trains Managing Director Karen Boswell, York Station Manager Phil Crow. Chief Inspector Derek O Mara, who helped organise the event, said Partnership working with East Coast trains, along with a great team and professionalism by all officers involved ensured the, the visit was a great success. Thanks to everyone involved. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh welcomed at York

3 Rail Safety Reps Scheme launched PCSOs Sue Driffield, Ben Whitaker, Jemma Mitchell and Tony Bilinski have begun visiting local schools which are situated close to railways, to kick-start the Rail Safety Reps scheme. In the last year there have been over 3000 incidents of railway crimes committed by young people across England, Scotland and Wales. These incidents include young people taking shortcuts, playing chicken, spraying graffiti or even throwing objects at trains. Incidents such as those listed above, put the lives of the young people involved and other railway users at risk as well as causing costly damage and delays across the railway network. Whilst the vast majority of these incidents involve teenagers, we believe it is important to provide younger children with the information that will allow them to use the railway safely as they grow up and their independence increases. With this in mind, Network Rail has developed the Rail Safety Reps scheme which encourages and supports teachers in delivering this vital railway safety message in schools. Rail Safety Reps is targeted at Key Stage 2 children (P6 and P7 in Scotland) and adopts a peer education approach, where a small number of children who are selected as Railway Safety Reps, along with an Adult Helper (school teacher or teaching assistant) and Mentor organise fun and educational railways safety awareness activities integrated into the curriculum or as part of after-school programmes. Whilst it is the Key Stage 2 Railway Safety Reps that have the primary involvement in the scheme, the use of peer education means the whole school receives the key messages and benefits from the scheme. Jill Woodward, Headteacher at Lawmuir Primary School which piloted the scheme has this to say; Having Rail reps in our school has added to the opportunities for children to be actively engaged in their learning and having a purposeful voice within the school. The Rail Reps scheme enhances work already being done in health Promotion. Every school that expresses and interest in joining the scheme will be sent a free resource pack that contains all the information and resources required to establish the scheme in their school. Once a school is signed up they will be allocated a local mentor from the railway industry who will be on hand to support the scheme.

4 Kirklees College dig in! March saw the latest instalment in the garden project at Huddersfield Station. Students from Kirklees College Public Services course, along with their tutor, Ged Byrne, helped clear the last of the roots and bushes from the overgrown platform garden area at the station. PCSO s Jemma Mitchell, Stephen Yates and Tony Bilinski were on hand to make sure everything was carried out safely and to arrange welcome drinks and snacks for the workers! Tony said This project has reinforced the bond between BTP and the students and staff of Kirklees College as we already hold the First Trans Pennine Express NPT PACT meetings at the college. Billy Bolt of TPE has already begun to plant new shrubs and bushes in the garden.... Ready for them to spring into summer!

5 Crackdown on metal thieves and fraudsters The West Yorkshire Neighbourhood Policing Team recently joined forces with officers from West Yorkshire Police s (WYP) Lower Valley and Wyke Neighbourhood Policing Team and other agencies, including the Vehicle Operator Services Agency, British Telecommunications, HM Revenue and Customs, Environmental Services, HM Courts, Local Councillors and WYP s Roads Policing Team. The day of action took place in WA total of 54 vehicles were stopped, three were found to be using illegal fuel, two were not displaying a current tax disc, one was reported for summons for having no licence or insurance, others were issued with fixed penalty notices or prohibitions for safety issues and had to get the repairs conducted before they could get back on the road. Many of those who were stopped are well known to the police leading to additional intelligence information. Sgt Dean Maddocks of West Yorkshire Police said "This operation was based on intelligence we have received, that criminals are using our local roads to commit crime and travel through to other areas in our divisions. We have received numerous reports of theft of metals and suspicious vehicles. We have also had incidents where suspects have used unsuspecting taxis to avoid detection. I am delighted that so many partner agencies were able to assist us. These operations send out a positive message to both the criminals and the community. We will continue with similar schemes in the future".

6 Dewsbury and Huddersfield stations Safe and Secure!! Both Dewsbury and Huddersfield railway stations have been recognised as safe and secure environments for rail passengers and staff. All of First TransPennine Express's (FTPE) 30 managed stations have been accredited to the government's Secure Station Scheme. Nearly 20 million passengers use FTPE stations every year, and the Department for Transport (DfT) have measured and assessed them against a demanding set of criteria. This includes the number of reported crimes compared to the number of customers using the station. The British Transport Police (BTP) have confirmed that all 30 stations have achieved a crime to customer ratio of better than 1/20,000, the requirement for successful accreditation to the Secure Station Scheme. Billy Vickers, FTPE's Police Liaison Officer commented, "This is really good news for our stations across the north of England. Safety is our number one priority and we will continue to work to improve the station environments for the benefit of customers and staff. "Customers expect to travel and colleagues have the right to work in safe and secure environments. Rail stations are open public places that are vulnerable to increased levels of crime. It is our responsibility to reduce this risk and through initiatives such as full CCTV coverage, sponsorship of Police Community Support Officers, platform help points and British Transport Police safety assessments we have successfully achieved Secure Station Status accreditation all our stations. Of course, we will continue to work to reduce the crime at our stations further." Regular safety audits are conducted in partnership with the BTP and 17m has been invested to make FTPE's stations light, bright and safe environments. This includes the installation of state of the art CCTV and customer help points. Said Steve Johnston, FTPE's Head of Stations: "I am delighted that our stations have been recognised as safe and secure. We always work hard to keep customers safe when they travel with us and it is pleasing that the level of crime has continued to fall for a number of years. This has been achieved by station development, better use of technology and improved levels of staff training." Overall FTPE has seen a 25% reduction in the level of crime at its stations since 2007/08. British Transport Police Crime Reduction Officer Mike Jones said: "On behalf of British Transport Police I would like to congratulate First TransPennine Express in achieving Secure Station status at all its stations. The Secure Stations Scheme is an important element in securing our rail system, reassuring passengers and staff, and ensuring the continued success of the industry. The rail system is a low crime environment and one where increasing resources are being put into combating anti-social behaviour and disorder. However, if we are going to drive down crime and anti-social behaviour further, we need to continue to work together in a smarter and more planned way. That is what the Secure Stations Scheme can offer - a meaningful measure of better co-operative working between station operators and the police, not only of crime, but more importantly of how people feel about the stations they travel to and from."

7 Our Contact Details Dial 999 in an emergency See it? Report it! NPT Office (Leeds) (Answer phone operates when officers are unavailable) National BTP Free-phone (24 hours) (Click on Neighbourhood Policing Coverage Map Revised Metro Neighbourhood