Friday 7 Aug 2009
PASSENGERS SAFE AND SECURE AT BIRMINGHAM NEW STREET
- Region & Route:
The 140,000 passengers using Birmingham New Street railway station every day can do so safe in the knowledge that it has just been successfully re-accredited as a Secure Station by The Department for Transport.
Network Rail was awarded Secure Station status after assessment by independent officers from the British Transport Police (BTP). The level of safety at the station is evaluated every two years and reflects an ongoing commitment to the security of all those who use the station.
Station Manager, Susan Kirkwood said: “We are extremely proud to have achieved Secure Station status once again, demonstrating that Birmingham New Street is one of the safest stations in the country.”
To earn this award, Network Rail had to show that it had managed crime effectively over the 12 months before the inspection. Communication with passengers and responses to incidents had to meet stringent standards.
Passenger surveys showed that the overwhelming number of those who use Birmingham New Street feel secure. The provision of design features such as extensive CCTV and help points provide reassurance to both passengers and staff.
In the last year only one passenger in 72,704 experienced crime at the station. Network Rail and the BTP will work together to drive this number down further and ensure that instances of crime continue to be kept to a minimum.
The Secure Station Scheme was launched in 1998 by the Department for Transport, BTP and Crime Concern.
Notes to editors
The Secure Stations Scheme is an opportunity for Britain's rail companies to improve security at their stations and display to their customers their desire to reduce crime. Recognising the public's fear of crime at stations, the Scheme provides an incentive to station operators to improve security and provide reassurance to passengers and staff. There are four accreditation criteria: • the design of the station must conform to standards judged by the local BTP Crime Reduction Officer to prevent and reduce crime and improve passenger perceptions; • the management of the station must enable staff to take steps to prevent crimes, respond to incidents, and communicate effectively with passengers; • crime statistics for the station over the twelve months prior to the inspection must show that station staff are managing crime; and • a survey of users must show that, on the whole, passengers feel secure when using the station. The Scheme recognises that security can be improved both through physical design measures and through management practices. Many stations are old and were designed without personal security in mind. In such cases operators will need to make whatever improvements are possible (through, for example, lighting and signage) and take steps to manage the problems that remain. More information on the Secure Station Scheme can be found at http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/crime/sss/whatisthesecurestationscheme
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We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
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