Violent assaults on rail staff rise since pandemic

Rail workers say they have been spat at, punched and attacked as figures suggest violent assaults against staff and police officers on the train network are at a four-year high.

A Freedom of Information request by BBC South East shows that 4,088 attacks were recorded at railway stations across England, Scotland and Wales last year.

Of all the train providers, Southeastern had the most reports of violence, with 438 incidents in 2023.

British Transport Police (BTP) said it took assaults towards rail staff "extremely seriously".

The number of assaults recorded by police in 2023 was nearly 10% higher than pre-pandemic in 2019, despite a 11% reduction in passenger numbers.

Southeastern has teamed up with Network Rail and BTP to prevent trespassing, antisocial behaviour and assaults on staff.

The rail company has also launched an app where staff can report incidents of violence and aggression.

Adam Huntley says some passengers do not respect the uniform

Adam Huntley has worked as a rail enforcement officer (REO) for Southeastern for nearly eight years, patrolling trains and stations.

He said abuse towards staff had "completely ramped up".

"People believe that we have no powers to do anything," Mr Huntley said.

"When we're checking tickets, some people just think we're here for a laugh.

"I've been sworn at, spat at, I've been punched, at multiple stations from Rainham to Gravesend."

'We now have to wear body armour'

Caroline Lamb has worked on the railway for almost 30 years

REOs have the power to detain or remove passengers who break the rules, such as failing to produce a ticket or being drunk.

Mr Huntley's colleague Caroline Lamb has worked on the railway for 28 years.

She said: "There are people out there that don't think we should be doing what we do - they call us plastic police officers."

"As an REO we used to wear a nice black jacket, white shirt, hat and tie. We now have to wear body armour and high visibility vests," Ms Huntley added.

She believes aggression has increased because penalty fares for those without a ticket have gone up from £20 to £100.

A man was jailed last year for threatening a Southeastern security guard with a knife

Although they are not mandatory for all staff, body-worn cameras are used by about 900 Southeastern workers and have led to a number of successful convictions.

British Transport Police said workshops had been carried out to encourage rail staff to report assaults and abuse.

Southeastern acknowledged the number of assaults may have increased due to better reporting.

Det Supt Brett Walker said these incidents would "not be tolerated under any circumstance".

"We continue to work closely with rail companies to tackle offences and we will explore all investigative avenues to identify and prosecute offenders," he said.