Rail operator moves to tackle abuse against staff

South Western Railway says its staff regularly face physical and verbal abuse

South Western Railway is launching a campaign to tackle the levels of abuse its staff face while at work.

Posters are being displayed in stations across the network reminding passengers to be kind even if their journey is not going according to plan.

The rail operator said staff regularly faced physical and verbal abuse, though the use of body-worn cameras was likely to reduce levels.

Ben Waterhouse, a train driver based at London Waterloo station, said: "The abuse has got a lot worse in the last few years. You get lot of racism and homophobic abuse. It can be any time of day."

Mr Waterhouse, who has worked on the railways since 2005, said he welcomed steps to prevent abuse.

He told BBC Radio Surrey: "The guards and ticket inspectors get it more than drivers.

"But drivers aren't exempt because people know where we are - we are easy to find. Everyone should feel safe at work.

"I wear a pride lanyard, so that can draw people into me, sometimes for good reasons, sometimes for bad reasons.

"It can be quite annoying and you do take a lot of it home with you."

He said he welcomed the use of body-worn cameras, which were introduced in 2021.

'Thoughtless abuse'

South Western Railway said its posters showed examples of abusive language on everyday household items: a doormat, shower gel, a kettle and a tin of soup, "indicating how the abuse continues to play on the minds of colleagues, even while at home".

Grant Robey, the operator's crime and security manager, said: “We hope this campaign will bring the human impact of thoughtless abuse to the front of our customers’ minds and remind them to be kind to our colleagues, even when things go wrong on their journeys.

"We know that most customers wouldn’t purposefully abuse our colleagues; a lot of this behaviour arises when customers lose their temper and make heat-of-the moment comments."