SPOTLIGHT ON THE SAFER TRAVEL PARTNERSHIPMaking Public Transport in the West Midlands safer.

The Public Transport Network across the West Midlands continues to be one of the safest in the U.K. Crime statistics are down 6% in 2015/16 in all combined areas of public transport. Crime fell by 70% between 2008 and 2016.

The Safer Travel Partnership’s role is to make passengers who use public transport safer and to help reduce crime and anti-social behaviour across the public transport network. It is made of staff from Transport for the West Midlands, West Midlands Police and British Transport Police.

We work alongside transport operators and the seven Community Partnerships in the West Midlands:

Transport for the West Midlands is responsible for transport infrastructure and public transport services in the West Midlands metropolitan area

The national police force for the railways, they provide a policing service to the rail operators, staff and passengers.

The second largest police force in England and Wales, covering the seven regions which make up the West Midlands.

Transport operators include companies such as London Midland, National Express West Midlands and Virgin Trains.

Each district of the West Midlands has a community safety partnership. They include representatives from local statutory, voluntary and community organisations. Safer Travel is the FIRST integrated partnership in the country where these organisations have come together as one to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour on the transport network.

The Safer Travel Partnership covers all modes of public transport.

WHAT WE DO.

REASSURANCEWe work to reassure the public through high visibility patrols across the network and through events such as cycle surgeries, where members of the public can bring their bike, learn how to make it more secure and thus help prevent cycle crime.

We also attend schools and bus garages to reassure pupils and staff if an incident has occurred. We advise them of what procedures will be put in place to ensure it does not happen again.

BUS STATIONS RAIL STATIONS METRO STATIONS ON BOARD BUS SHELTERS

INTELLIGENCEAn important source of information for the partnership is the collection of intelligence.

One of the sources of intelligence used by the partnership is CCTV. There are more than 1,000 CCTV cameras across the West Midlands focusing on public transport. The Safer Travel Command Centre monitors the footage from these cameras 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

These cameras monitor bus, rail and metro stations, as well as bus shelters, cycle racks and some modes of transport.

A new cutting edge service has been deployed where CCTV operatives can access cameras on services in real time. This enables the team to use mobile devices or tablets to monitor directly any instances that occur on the Network and can respond immediately. This technology was featured on the BBC’s Crime Watch and featured the Safer Travel team.

The intelligence we gather helps to inform the things we do. This means our actions can be targeted, therefore increasing efficiency and impact.

SeeSomethingSaySomething

If you see any anti-social behaviour during bus journeys, say something.

Text: Bus, leave a space then tell us the time, date, location, route number and incident details.

safertravel.info/ASBThis is a non emergency service. In an emergency please dial 999 and ask for the Police. Standard network rates apply.

83010TEXT

Stay safe on the move with the See Something Say Something App.

WORK WITH SCHOOLS & COLLEGESWe go into schools to deliver presentations around staying safe on public transport as well as focusing on specific issues such as crime. Alongside this we run projects such as Off the Rails and Cutting Edge which offer a practical and peer to peer learning approach to tackling these issues.

‘rail’ or ‘metro’, leaving a space, and then the message to 83010. There is also a smartphone app available for both iPhone and Android.

See Something Say Something has proved a huge success. More than 100 reports per month are made via ‘See Something, Say Something’ which feed directly into ongoing police work, and have led to many successful operations. Through the use of CCTV and the investigative work of the Anti-Social Behaviour team we have identified many individuals who have been disruptive on the transport network. Warning letters have been issued to people who have been abusive to other passengers and staff, while others have been banned from using certain services. In some instances Criminal Behaviour Orders have been issued which have resulted in individuals being imprisoned.

We respond to all messages received via telephone, text or email and will follow up any case that could lead to an individual being identified. We collate all information received to identify which routes have seen trouble and liaise with the police team to target these areas.

CAMPAIGNSSee Something Say Something - This is a campaign designed and run by Safer Travel. It encourages members of the public to report any nuisance or anti-social behaviour during their bus, rail or Metro journey. The reports are then recorded and dealt with accordingly by one of the Safer Travel ASB team. By texting ‘bus’

ENFORCEMENT PATROLSWe regularly conduct gateway checks and plain clothes operations across the public transport network.

We also conduct ‘anniversary’ patrols in response to any incidents that have happened at a specific location. We have had great successes as a result.

/safertravelpolice www.safertravel.info @ST_Police

PROJECT EMPOWER Project Empower was set up to tackle sexual harassment on public transport which victims would previously have felt was not worth reporting to police.

Evidence suggested sexual offences on the network were vastly underreported, with approximately 95% of victims not going to the police. Project Empower was created to raise awareness of this and to encourage people to report these offences.

Since Project Empower was launched, reporting has increased and a number of perpetrators convicted in court.

Detective Constable Leigh O’Neill of West Midlands Police said: “Passengers should be able to enjoy their journey without being subjected to verbal or physical abuse.

RESTORATIVE JUSTICEThe Restorative Justice scheme is for young people identified committing low level crimes and who are generally first time offenders. They take part in victim awareness sessions where we advise them that their actions have consequences and educate them on their future conduct. They also carry out reparation sessions cleaning buses for operators or working at Centro-owned bus stations.

Restorative Justice has proved a huge success.

In its first year, of the 43 young people who took part in the scheme only one individual went on to reoffend, while another participant subsequently requested to do his school work experience with bus operator National Express West Midlands.

Birmingham Yardley MP Jess Phillips, who as Birmingham Victims Champion supported the scheme when it launched in 2013, said: “One of the strong points of this scheme is the way it breaks down barriers between young people and authority.

“It is such an important step along the path of ensuring youngsters, who all too often feel alienated from society, realise that they are in fact an important part of it and have much to offer.

“This is an all-important tool when tackling issues of re-offending - seeing things from the victims’ perspective is a key element to rehabilitation.”

“Project Empower is not only clamping down on offenders but is actively encouraging passengers to report unwanted sexual approaches.

“People should not tolerate or dismiss it - sex offenders who get away with seemingly minor behaviour may be tempted to escalate the seriousness of their offending.”

Campaigner Laura Bates, founder of the Everyday Sexism blog - has also backed Empower.

She said: “I hear stories on a daily basis from women who have been subjected to sexual harassment, or even physical assault whilst using public transport. Cases range from unwanted sexual advances to groping to indecent exposure.

“It’s fantastic the Safer Travel Partnership is being so proactive in tackling the issue and encouraging victims to speak out. This project is about saying it is not normal and it is not ok.”

CADET SCHEMEBritish Transport Police, in conjunction with Safer Travel, has launched a Volunteer Cadet Scheme in Birmingham.

It is aimed at young people between the ages of 13 and 18, with volunteers coming from three partnership schools within the area.

The scheme is not about recruitment but about encouraging and developing young people to become good citizens and to be a part of policing.

ASB TEAMIn August 2013, the Safer Travel Partnership set up a dedicated Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) team to complement the successful Safer Travel Police Team which works across the region to reduce crime and make passengers feel safer.

The team tackles incidents on public transport such as smoking, rowdy behaviour, intimidation of staff/passengers, graffiti and playing of loud music by using a range of police and civil interventions and by linking with partner agencies.

GOOD ASB NEWS STORIES!! TACKLING ASB IN THE HAWKESLEY ESTATE

During the month of April and May, youths from the Birmingham South area had caused a considerable level of anti social behaviour issues (ASB) on bus routes in the Hawkesley area.

The ASB consisted of criminal damage to buses through stone throwing, fare evasion, theft of emergency equipment from within the bus, arson, staff abuse, racial abuse and most worryingly staff assaults to bus drivers.

These repeated events clearly had a negative impact on the community using the transport network; it impacted the trust and confidence the drivers and staff place on the Police and had a profound increase in notifiable crime.

Officers from the Safer Travel team took it upon themselves to detect and deter the offenders. Officers developed a pro active working strategy partnering with the local neighbourhood team. Through this joint initiative officers managed to identify and arrest the offenders.

Since the arrests there have been no further incidents and the offenders are currently awaiting prosecution

TRACKER BIKE OPERATION AT SOLIHULL

Eleven cycle thefts had occurred at Solihull railway station over the course of three weeks. This was a marked increase in theft of some high value bikes within a very short period of time.

The key aims for Safer Travel is to reduce crime and increase passenger confidence across the whole of the transport network and repeated incidents like these have a detrimental effect with improving confidence and clearly have a profound impact on the level of crime. These events also affect the

BUILDING CONFIDENCE

The Safer Travel Team has worked with disabled young people to help restore their confidence in using public transport, including young people who felt vulnerable and lacked confidence. Rhian was uncomfortable using the bus after changing her bus route. During a 3-day intervention, an officer

BAVERSTOCK ASB

Safer Travel officers attended Baverstock School to speak to the pupils, teachers and parents after receiving intelligence to suggest that the students from the school were causing anti social behaviour on their way home from school.

The reports had suggested that the pupils were traveling without paying for their fare, playing loud music, being rowdy and inconsiderate to other passengers. This behaviour impacted on the comfort of the other passengers. The reports had originated from bus drivers as well as see say reports through to our ASB team. The team initially carried out a Gateway operation along the 18 route, this was done solely by the safer travel team, they boarded buses, handed out see say cards, re-assured the passengers, during this operation they identified over 15 students who were

victims who return to the station to find that their bike has been stolen.

Officers from Safer Travel put a stop to this worrying trend through the use of innovative methods as well as using new technology. The team planned and carried out an operation at the station using a specially designed bike which had a GPS tracking facility hidden within it. An offender was caught stealing a bike, he was arrested and prosecuted and a member of public was also reunited with his bike that had been stolen.

accompanied her during her trips and provided her with information on a number of issues – crime prevention, keeping belongings safe, bus stop safety, CCTV, what to do in an emergency etc. Following this induction, Rhian felt confident and happy to use public transport.

responsible for the low level disorder on the buses. Once the students had been identified, the ASB team based at Centro was consulted and a visit to the school was arranged. The parents of the students were also asked to attend.

Also in attendance was the local neighbourhood policing team.

Two of the students were dealt with through the youth offending team and the rest were given first stage warning letters. The letters highlight the behaviour the students should exercise particularly whilst on public transport.

This intervention has made a significant impact on the reports that were being received; the problem has all but disappeared and this was done without resorting to criminal prosecutions.