Scottish Area April 2015 Issue 2 Page 1 Operation Look 2 Level Crossing Safety and Engagement Page 2 Annual Complementary Policing Awards Dundee NPT RailWatch Aberdeen NPT Inverness NPT Operation Look 2 Level Crossing Safety and Engagement Page 3 Edinburgh NPT Edinburgh officers visit Niddrie Mills Primary Kirkcaldy NPT PACT Meeting at Queen Margaret University Bathgate PACT Meeting New Specials in Training Page 4 Missing elderly woman at Glasgow Central Station Sammy Bear visits Glasgow Central Station Glasgow NPT Borders Final Clip Event Page 5 Borders School Education Programme Borders Marketing Train Page 6 Joint initiative sees behaviour of offshore workers improve There are over 6,100 level crossings in Scotland, England and Wales and over the last 3 years the number of incidents at these level crossings has steadily increased. Level crossings remain the area of highest potential catastrophic risk on the railway. The vast majority of incidents are caused by the behaviour of pedestrians and motorists. The purpose of Operation Look is to educate the public by raising the awareness of the dangers and consequences of misusing railway crossings and enforce the current legislation by prosecuting. Between Monday 2 nd and Sunday 8 th February 2015 Operation Look 2, a week of action took place across 3 Divisions of the British Transport Police. This national operation targeted our hotspot level crossings across the country and BTP officers and colleagues from Network Rail gave thousands of motorists, cyclists and pedestrians safety advice about the dangers of crossing misuse. Officers also visited schools, youth clubs and local businesses to warn people to use crossings safely.
Annual Complementary Policing Awards On Monday 30 th March, T/Sergeant Forbes attended 1 Birdcage Walk, Westminster to attend the Force s Annual Complementary Policing Awards where he received two nominations from Assistant Chief Constable Thomas for Problem Solving Plan and Anti Social Behaviour Intervention. Aberdeen NPT On 11 th and 18 th March T/Sergeant Forbes, along with stakeholders from Scotrail, Story Contracting and representatives from the Railway Taxi Drivers Associations held PACT Meetings in relation to the ongoing station developments at Aberdeen. Drivers who are not holders of Disabled Blue Badge are reminded that the car park within Aberdeen Railway Station remains closed to all members of the public and that the car park on South College Street is the recognised car park. Drivers who park within the station are committing an offence and will be prosecuted where it is deemed proportionate to do so. On 20 th March T/Sergeant Forbes and T/Inspector Cruickshanks held an on train meeting onboard the 0752 Aberdeen to Kings Cross service with a representative from Virgin East Coast with a view to further developing the Problem Solving Plans which successfully addressed the problems associated with alcohol fuelled anti social behaviour during the previous year. Dundee NPT T/Sergeant Forbes receiving his award Officers from the Dundee NPT held a PACT Meeting at the ticket barriers at Dundee Railway Station on Wednesday 11 th March. A general discussion was held around the Smith commission report into BTP being subsumed by Polscot. Staff raised concerns about this with regard to the potential lack of Police cover at the rail station. Officers explained to staff that they were in the dark regards the changes proposed. This will continue to be the case until concrete plans have been put in place. A further PACT Meeting is scheduled for May at Aberdeen Railway Station and a number of train surgeries will be held on local commuter services to and from Aberdeen with a representative from Abelio Scotrail during the next few months. Notification will be given in Aberdeen Railway Station for commuter s information. Inverness NPT During the first week in February officers from the Inverness NPT took part in Operation Look. Officers were available at Level Crossings to answer questions and provide advice and guidance to members of the public on rail safety. Literature was provided and leaflets were handed out to drivers. During January officers held a PACT Meeting with representatives from Brora to discuss issues of Anti Social Behaviour at Inverness Railway Station. BTP officers will provide increased high visibility patrols over the following months to deter and detect those causing issues at the station and surrounding area. Rail Watch Scotland is a collaboration between British Transport Police, Network Rail and Neighbourhood Watch Scotland. Together they work together to make people to feel safe on and around Scotland s railways. If you use the railways, or live near a railway line, you can sign up to receive information and alerts about safety and security issues. The aim is to bring you local, relevant and timely alerts which will help you keep yourself and others safe. To start receiving alerts simply sign up to Rail Watch Scotland FREE at www.railwatchscotland.co.uk Another PACT Meeting was held with RailWatch, which is a neighbourhood watch style initiative developed solely for the railway environment. The local community links in with the other railway and BTP to report any incidents of disorder, vandalism or safety related issues. Further meetings are to be carried out with RailWatch and the railway to develop this initiative. The monthly PACT meeting was also held with Scotrail on Wednesday 28 th January. A number of issues were discussed including the introduction of the barriers system on late night trains. These issues will be monitored over the next few weeks.
Edinburgh NPT During January and February officers from the Edinburgh Neighbourhood Policing team held various meetings with train staff to discuss ongoing issues and concerns. PC Cronin held a Partnership Surgery with ScotRail ticket barrier staff and the barrier management team at Edinburgh Waverley Station and discussed the role of the BTP, expectations of us and concerns relating to BTP s future role within the station. ScotRail also discussed their usual concerns regarding late night passengers but were overall happy with the level of communication with BTP and the response they receive from us. Officers also held an informal meeting with both Cross Country and Virgin train staff members at Edinburgh Waverley. Both partners expressed that they had no issues at Edinburgh Station in relation to BTP. All staff stated that officers within Edinburgh Waverley station interact with them on a regular basis and they were happy with the good relationship with us. On Wednesday 28 th January PC Gillies held a PACT Meeting at Haymarket station with staff from Starbucks, AMT, Pumpkin and Marks and Spencers. No issues or concerns were raised. Edinburgh officers visit Niddrie Mills Primary PC Ferguson and PC Weir from Edinburgh Neighbourhood Policing team visited Niddrie Mills Primary School on Thursday 26 th March and carried out a rail safety prevention to children from Primary 3 to Primary 7 at the school assembly. Officers were invited to the school after reports that pupils had been playing near the railway. Teachers and pupils provided positive feedback to the officers and thanked them for visiting the school. Kirkcaldy NPT Officers from the Kirkcaldy NPT attended a community event in Rosyth on Friday 20 th February. The BTP officers provided a talk to the local Scouts group. Advice was given on railway safety as well as the history of the BTP. A PACT Meeting was also held at Kirkcaldy Railway Station on Monday 9 th March with ticket barrier staff from ScotRail. PC Casey and PC Buchanan discussed local railway issues and provided reassurance to rail staff and travelling members of the public. PACT Meeting at Queen Margaret University Officers from Edinburgh NPT attended Queen Margaret University on Monday 9 th March and held a PACT Meeting with the head of security, Chris Martin. Issues were discussed in regards to the students travelling on the railway and in particular in relations to revenue problems, low level anti-social behaviour, parking issues and rail safety. Queen Margaret University is in Musselburgh and there are approximately 6,500 staff. There are 810 resident students and Musselburgh Railway Station is just off the university campus and provides regular service into the city centre that takes only 8 minutes. During the summer recess, in June and July every year the university accommodation is full with foreign students and during August every year, the accommodation is let out to visitors to the Edinburgh Festival. There is parking on campus for the students but a charge is made for this facility forcing students to park in the railway car park. These prices are set to increase next year which could impact on the railway. Bathgate PACT Meeting On Monday 2 nd February officers from the Edinburgh to Glasgow NPT held a PACT Meeting at Bathgate Railway Station. No issues or concerns were raised. A Police Surgery was carried out afterwards with rail passengers alighting at Bathgate railway station. Again no issues were raised. New Specials in Training 14 new Special Constables joined D-Division in March 2015 and commenced their training which will cover a wide range of topics over ten pre-planned weekends. Topics will include legislation, personal safety, crime scene management, track safety and first aid to name but a few. The new cohort come to BTP from a wide range of backgrounds and occupations and include a Doctor, Ambulance Technician, School Janitor and Farmer. Specials Coordinator T/Sergeant Robertson said: It is fantastic to see a group of individuals who are so enthusiastic, community spirited and willing to give of their time freely to assist our force in driving down crime and disruption on the rail network The new group of Specials will pass out at their official swearing in ceremony in late July and will be fully operational and treading their beat in early August. We wish them well in their new post!
Missing elderly woman at Glasgow Central Station On 9 th March an elderly woman was reported missing to officers by her daughter. She was due to meet her on the main concourse at Glasgow Central Station however she was unable to find her. Officers from Glasgow NPT viewed CCTV but could not establish if she had boarded the train home. As her mother had the house keys and train tickets the ScotRail manager supplied a free travel pass for the daughter to travel home. Information was obtained and phone calls were made to establish the whereabouts of the elderly woman without success. Around 7.30pm the elderly woman turned up at Glasgow Central Station having mistakenly been sitting for 3.5 hours at Queen Margaret Station. She was taken in by officers to heat up and for a cup of tea. Friends were contacted and advised that she was fine. The ScotRail manager ordered and paid for a taxi to take the woman home which was a very generous things to do. BTP received a phone call from the elderly woman thanking BTP and ScotRail for their help and generosity. Sammy Bear visits Glasgow Central Station Glasgow NPT Officers from Glasgow NPT have dealt with various offences over the last few months including trespass, assaults, football related offences and thefts. Weekends have seen officers deployed across the city ensuring travelling football fans do not cause problems for staff and other passengers. The Rangers V Hibs game on the 13 th February saw a large contingent of Hibs fans arrive at the station. BTP Neighbourhood officer s reacted to a disorder situation at Dow s pub opposite the station, preventing potential further large scale disorder. Fans were escorted via the Glasgow Subway to Ibrox and again post match in a controlled manner. Queen Street officers were also called to meet incoming services from Edinburgh following a domestic incident on the platform at Haymarket. A female victim was supported and the male offender was detained. Officers held a PACT community engagement event at Queen Street Station on the 17 th February handing out crime prevention leaflets on the concourse during peak times. School train patrols in the area have also been carried out. Borders Final Clip Event In April 2015 PC Marshall from the Glasgow Central Neighbourhood Policing Team held a community event in conjunction with Virgin Trains at Glasgow Central station. This involved 12 children from Cambuslang nursery visiting the station and having their lunch in the First Class lounge of Virgin Trains with PC Marshall and railway staff. After lunch the children went for a walk round the station and got very excited when Sammy Bear was spotted walking towards them waving his hands in the air. The children went back to the Virgin Lounge with Sammy Bear and listened to a short story about Sammy Bear and his safety advice on the railway. The children participated in a question and answer session and enjoyed having their pictures taken with Sammy Bear. The day was a success and the children enjoyed their trip to Central Station meeting PC Marshall and Sammy Bear. The commencement of the installation of the railway track for the new Borders Railway spanning 35 miles commenced in October 2014 and concluded in February 2015. An event to mark the laying of the final piece of rail secured by a golden clip was attended by Sergeant Johnstone from the Borders team. His team deployed on a patrol strategy to ensure the rail laying machine which was brought from Holland to Scotland for this specific job, was kept safe and secure in order to minimise the risk of vandalism to the machine and keep the project running to timescales.
Borders School Education Programme Part of the Borders Team s Engagement and Communications strategy is the education of children both from a railway safety perspective and to support the Force s disruption strategy which has a direct link to 20:20:10 (achievement of 20% reduction in disruption, 20% reduction of crime and 10% increase in passenger confidence by 2019). The team started the primary schools education programme, Rail Reps last year and through hard work and commitment from officers and teachers by March 2015 a total of 26 schools 12 in Borders and 14 in Midlothian had signed up to the programme. In the Borders area a schools establishment can often be small in number allowing the officer to present to the whole school, with our smallest school having less than 20 children. The officers can deliver Rail Reps in several ways; to teachers for onward delivery in class, or to the class for onward work by the teacher. Currently children from schools signed up the programme are drawing rail safety related pictures, which will be judged as part of a poster campaign with Network Rail supporting the initiative with prizes to schools for the best boy and girl picture from both the Borders and Midlothian areas. For the last three years the Borders Team have delivered presentations at the Borders Crucial Crew event and it has been noticed that there was an obvious difference in the knowledge of the children from targeted Rail Reps schools, with most of them already very familiar with railway safety and getting questions correct first time. This is very positive feedback because our strategy is that the team encourage young children to take responsibility and not play on or near the railway, carrying this mindset through to their teenage years and subsequent adulthood, hence keeping the Borders railway safe and free from disruption for all who will use it when it is operational in September 2015. Borders Marketing Train Borders Marketing Train Officers from the Borders Policing Team attended the unveiling of the Borders marketing train at a high profile launch event in Edinburgh Waverley on 17 th March 2015. The train has three carriages, each one focusing on landscape from each of the council areas where the new railway will pass through Edinburgh, Midlothian and Borders. Keith Brown Cabinet Secretary and John Swinney, Deputy First Minister met with officers at this milestone event and spoke to them regarding the difference in policing approach in respect of the construction of the railway and every day policing role BTP performs. He was also interested in how the team s low crime figures have been achieved to date and if any hotspot locations had been established. Keith Brown Cabinet Secretary and John Swinney, Deputy First Minister with Inspector McGregor and Sergeant Johnstone The Borders Communication and Engagement strategy with regards to contractor engagement re keeping the construction of the project running to time by implementing plans to minimise theft of vital plant and was also discussed, along with the wide range of activities, with particular emphasis on the delivery of the schools education programme. It was explained that the whole purpose of the team s work was to minimise disruption to the project during construction and for when the railway is operational, educate the community, enhance the reputation of BTP and gain public confidence. Sergeant Johnstone at Hawthorndean Primary School, Midlothian PC MacDonald, PC Webb and PC Dinwoodie, Borders Policing Team
Joint initiative sees behaviour of offshore workers improve A partnership initiative aimed at reducing anti-social behaviour by offshore workers travelling on trains to and from the north-east of Scotland has been successful - according to police, trade unions and train operators. Following an increase in unsavoury incidents and concerns raised by rail staff, British Transport Police (BTP) joined forces with the RMT to remind those from the industry of the requirement under Railway Byelaws to be fit to travel and conduct themselves in an acceptable way while using the rail network. Since August, BTP officers based at Aberdeen have monitored the conduct of passengers from the offshore industry arriving at and departing from the city s railway station and their behaviour on the trains they travelled on. Sergeant Ashley Forbes of BTP, who co-ordinated the initiative, said: BTP officers travelled on 350 trains to monitor more than 2,000 workers on services between Aberdeen, Inverness, Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh as well as cross-border services as far as Newcastle. There is no doubt that the conduct of those from the offshore industry using the rail network has noticeably improved since the joint problem solving plan commenced last year. It is pleasing that the warnings issued by BTP and the train operators appear, in the main, to have been heeded. Sergeant Forbes added: There will be no complacency and officers will continue to carry out high-visibility patrols at stations and on trains and work with our rail industry partners to tackle the issue. We have made it clear that passengers and rail staff, who may also be RMT members, should be able to travel and work with encountering alcohol-fuelled anti-social behaviour, which is often experienced when offshore workers are travelling. Willie Strang, of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers trade union, added: The RMT has proactively worked with British Transport Police by highlighting the issue of anti-social behaviour in union journals which are sent to members in the rail and offshore sector. We have also seen some positive change in the attitudes from offshore workers towards us and hope this continues. A Virgin Trains East Coast spokesman said: We re pleased to see these encouraging results and we ll continue to work with the British Transport Police and other partners to build on these improvements. David Lister, ScotRail s sustainability and safety assurance director, said: The vast majority of our services to and from Aberdeen operate without any issues. However, we fully support the efforts of BTP and RMT to reduce the small number of incidents that do occur. Ensuring the safety and security of our customers and staff, and that our passengers have a comfortable journey, is of great importance to us. We welcome the results of this joint initiative to help achieve this."