Chairman, Ian Dobbs, visited Richmond station to launch our new Rail Community Officers (RCOs).
Ian Dobbs and Chief Superintendent Steve Morgan, British Transport Police, presented the officers with their accreditation certificates and badges today. The launch of the RCOs sees an investment of £1.8million in providing a safer railway.
The RCOs are the successors to our award-winning TravelSafe Officers, which were the first of their kind in the country, and they will continue to work side-by side with British Transport Police in providing a high-profile uniformed presence to our passengers and staff on trains and at stations.
A team of 40 accredited RCOs will be based across our network at Raynes Park, Richmond, Staines, Guildford, Portsmouth, Southampton and Bournemouth.
Each RCO has passed a rigorous ACPO-endorsed ‘accreditation’ course, which means they are given a range of additional powers including:
- Issuing British Transport Police penalty notices for offences such as trespass and graffiti
- The power to seize alcohol from underage drinkers
- Gathering intelligence towards obtaining ASBOs.
Our Chairman, Ian Dobbs, said:
“We take safety and security on our network very seriously and we believe this new scheme will improve both the travelling environment for our passengers and the working environment for our employees. Complementary policing has moved on since the introduction of our innovative TravelSafe Officers scheme in 2002 and we were very much in need of a team with additional powers to deal with the issues which our officers can sometimes be faced with.
“Each team has a dedicated British Transport Police officer who will work alongside the Rail Community Officers in a supporting role. As more officers complete their training over the coming months passengers should notice a real difference.”
British Transport Police, Chief Superintendent Steve Morgan, said:
"This scheme is a fantastic enhancement of BTP’s policing presence on the railway and will provide further reassurance for passengers.
“By having specific teams targeting dedicated lines of route, passengers can be assured of seeing a higher visibility presence on the South West Trains system which we believe will make great inroads in further reducing crime.”
The new teams will be overseen by a BTP Inspector and Sergeant, with each team consisting of a Police Constable and six Rail Community Officers.
The RCOs are recruited and trained by South West Trains and British Transport Police in partnership.
The Rail Community Officers’ main role is to enforce the Railway Byelaws and provide support and assistance to passengers and staff ensuring that travelling with us is as safe as possible.
They will also take part in police operations to catch offenders and go into local schools to warn children of the problems caused by trespassing on the railway and anti-social behaviour on trains.
Rail Community Officers will each receive six weeks training which includes conflict management, reporting incidents, police procedures, disability awareness and customer service.