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CRIME PREVENTION & PASSENGER SAFETY


Measures of success


Considering how the outcomes of the project will be measured, Bird said: “How do you define success? You could either say success is that we haven’t had to respond to lots of incidents, there hasn’t been disruption, there haven’t been assaults. Or somebody might say success is arresting lots of people.”


To measure the effectiveness of the ban, senior members of staff have been touring stations and routes across Scotland to experience the impact and implementation first hand.


This is timetabled to continue until at least the autumn, ScotRail said.


Evaluation of the scheme would be continual, Bird added.


“It’s about absolute clarity and reinforcing that message. Different people will define success in different ways but we will keep monitoring it.


“I’m absolutely confident we’ll know if it hasn’t worked, but we will certainly keep reinforcing [it].


“There has to be this balance. This is not about disrupting the service, it’s actually about creating an environment where passengers and staff feel safer.”


Feeling safe


If rail staff feel safer on board and know they have BTP partners who will respond they could be more likely to report incidents, as anti-social behaviour becomes more socially unacceptable on trains.


Bird compared the ban to the way smoking is now unacceptable on a train and suggested that in the same way, anti-social behaviour fuelled by alcohol should be regarded as breaking a social norm.


It is not always the reality of the danger that is important, she said, but the passengers’ perception of safety. Bird expressed her hopes that the new scheme could encourage people to be more confident in reporting incidents, in the knowledge that they would be supported for doing so.


“When passengers walk into a station, how does it feel? Whether they’re a victim of crime or if they see anti-social behaviour is almost irrelevant: it’s about when you walk into that station, ‘How do you feel?’”


Public perceptions


So far, there has been a positive public response to the ban – with the vast majority of customers, stakeholders and media welcoming


the move.


Montgomery said: “The introduction has gone well, and I thank customers for their support in sending out a clear message that anti- social behaviour on trains and at stations is unacceptable.”


This has been echoed by stakeholders. Liz Cameron, chief executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said: “We welcome ScotRail’s crackdown on alcohol-related anti-social behaviour.


“The ban will improve perceptions as well as make travel more pleasant for the vast majority of Scottish rail passengers.”


Looking to the future consequences of the ban, Montgomery concluded: “We expect the ban will further improve public perceptions and reduce incidents of alcohol related anti-social behaviour at stations and on train.


“We are closely monitoring customer feedback – including our safety statistics, passenger survey results and social media channels – and the early signs are good.”


www.scotrail.co.uk FOR MORE INFORMATION


rail technology magazine Aug/Sep 12 | 107


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