Have you seen some of our colleagues at stations and on trains wearing Body Worn Camera’s (BWC)? These devices can be used by our teams to record any incidents of assault or anti-social behaviour across the network.
We have 600 cameras across 70 locations across our network and are available to station colleagues, conductors, revenue protection and security teams. These are used alongside existing equipment used to protect everyone travelling on our network, such as CCTV at our stations and onboard, as well as personal protective equipment and ‘spit kits’.
Cameras only record footage when activated by the user - shown by a blue light around the camera. All footage is treated in the same way that we would treat CCTV regarding data protection, who is able to view it and how long footage is kept before being destroyed.
The use of Body Worn Cameras has been linked to a decrease in assaults towards frontline staff. Evidence from Body Worn Cameras has also been used by police and law enforcement agencies to identify those who commit crime across the network, leading to prosecutions.
Last year, a member of our team was spat at whilst working. Images taken from their body worn camera and DNA from a spit kit were used by the police to identify the offender. As a result, they have been arrested and charged pending prosecution.
We’re working alongside the BTP, law enforcement agencies and trade unions to support colleagues who make the choice to wear a Body Worn Camera, by highlighting the benefits to not only their personal safety, but to the safety of all our customers and staff.
To the vast majority of our customers who treat our staff and other customers with respect when travelling, thank you! However, to the small minority of people who do not, we have a zero-tolerance policy regarding assault on the network and we will always push for the strongest prosecution.