The ScotRail Alliance has invested £300,000 to make the railways even safer for customers and staff.
Over 300 body-worn CCTV cameras are being made available to frontline staff across the country. The devices can be clipped on to the staff member’s uniform, or worn on a lanyard, and are clearly marked as CCTV cameras.
The cameras are capable of recording video and audio in high definition continuously for up to eight hours. The cameras will capture footage when they are activated by a member of staff.
The roll out follows a successful trial, where staff found that people positively changed their behaviour when informed that they were being recorded. Footage from cameras worn by staff has also been used in a number of prosecutions.
The initiative has been delivered in partnership with Transport Scotland and trade unions ASLEF, RMT and TSSA. The aim of the role out is to continue to improve the safety of customers and staff, deter antisocial behaviour, and gather evidence when it does occur.
The devices are produced by Edinburgh-based Edesix, who have designed the cameras so that frontline staff require no specialist training in how to use them. Wearers of the devices have no access to the footage they record, which is downloaded automatically to a secure site.
Alex Hynes, ScotRail Alliance Managing Director, said:
“We are building the best railway that Scotland’s ever had, and a key part of that is continuing to improve the safety of our railway. The safety and security of our staff and customers is our priority.
“Anti-social behaviour will never be tolerated at our stations, or on our trains. These new cameras will improve everyone’s journey by deterring anti-social or criminal behaviour, and help with gathering vital evidence on the rare occasions when it does occur.”
Humza Yousaf, Minister for Transport and the Islands, said:
“The Scottish Government is committed to working with our industry partners to help build the best railway Scotland has ever had.
“Part of this includes investing in measures to target unwelcome behaviour and introducing bodycams will play a role in that.
“Every worker has the absolute right to carry out their duties without the fear of verbal or physical assault, just as every passenger has the right to a safe journey.”
Chief Inspector Sue Maxwell from British Transport Police, said:
“We’re delighted that our colleagues in the ScotRail Alliance will soon be equipped with body worn cameras right across Scotland. In September, BTP rolled out body worn cameras to all our officers meaning that they have an independent witness by their side at every single incident.
“Body worn cameras allows officers to capture essential evidence, help protect officers from malicious complaints and can speed up the justice process. With ScotRail now using these cameras, we’re sure this is another great step towards making Scottish railways a safer place to travel.”
Kevin Lindsay, ASLEF District Organiser, said:
“As a union we welcome these additional body cameras, but we urge all rail passengers to respect rail workers at all times – not just at this festive time.”
Liz Warren-Corney, TSSA Scotland Organiser, said:
“TSSA’s raison d’etre is all about ensuring our members get home safely to their loved ones after a day at work.
“Keeping them safe keeps Scotland’s passengers safe, so we welcome anything that adds to the safety levels and welcome the body cams.”
The ScotRail Alliance will invest millions of pounds to keep people moving during autumn, as it undertakes a major push to deal with the very real safety risks caused by leaves on the line.
With much of Scotland’s railway lined by trees, a common cause of disruption during autumn is leaves falling on the line. A build-up of leaves results in a slippery layer forming on the tracks.
This can be dangerous, causing trains to skid and overshoot signals and platforms – potentially putting passengers and staff in danger.
As a result, drivers must accelerate and brake gently. This causes services to go slower than normal and can result in disruption for customers.
Leaf debris can also interfere with the signalling systems, making it difficult to track trains on the network.
Led by Network Rail, from the middle of October the autumn campaign will include:
• £2.6million invested in clearing the tracks
• 11 leaf fall teams, totalling 30 staff based at locations across Scotland including in Inverness, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Tayside, the Borders and Fife
• A fleet of seven specialist treatment trains designed to clear leaf debris and spray lines with a glue-like coating to help train wheels grip the tracks
• Treatment trains covering an average of 1,500 miles a day
• Up to 7,200 staff hours dedicated to clearing the line
• A colour-coded warning system on Twitter each day, advising customers of any expected disruptions caused by the weather.
David Dickson, infrastructure director for the ScotRail Alliance, said:
“We are working hard to build the best railway Scotland has ever had, and part of that is keeping people moving during autumn when the weather can create major safety risks.
“We know few things annoy customers more than when their train is delayed because of leaves on the line. People are always a bit sceptical, but the reality is that leaves on the line can be dangerous and lead to disruption.
“The ScotRail Alliance is investing millions of pounds and pulling out all the stops to tackle this problem over the coming months.”
– Over 300 new cameras installed
– 76 more stations now covered by cameras
Over 300 new CCTV cameras have been installed across the ScotRail Alliance’s network of 359 stations to improve security for customers and staff.
The work has been undertaken as part of a commitment to improve station facilities across the country. Customers with bikes will be one of the biggest groups to benefit, as additional cameras have been placed at 200 stations to monitor cycle parking areas.
Cameras and monitors have been placed at the entrances to 30 of the network’s busiest stations, as part of a move to highlight the presence of CCTV on trains and stations.
A total of 76 stations previously not covered by CCTV have seen it installed since the start of the present ScotRail franchise in April 2015. The ScotRail Alliance remotely monitors CCTV footage from their two customer service centres in Paisley and Dunfermline, where they also answer calls from station help points.
David Lister, the ScotRail Alliance’s safety and sustainability director, said: “Train travel is safe but that doesn’t mean we take our customers’ safety for granted. With the installation of these additional cameras, we’re sending a clear message that we do not tolerate crime on the railway.
“Footage from our cameras has previously been used by the police to investigate crime, and also to secure prosecutions in court.”
Chief Superintendent John McBride, from British Transport Police, said: “The rollout of these new CCTV cameras by ScotRail Alliance is great news as undoubtedly it will help us further deter and disrupt criminal activity.
“Likewise, this is also great news for staff and railway users, particularly bike users. Thanks to these additional cameras, staff and officers will be able to remotely monitor bike shelters and quickly report suspicious behaviour to police.
“Our priority is the safety of the travelling public, and we will continue to work closely with ScotRail Alliance to achieve this day in, day out. Of course, the public are also the eyes and ears of the network and can report crime and concerns to BTP discreetly by sending a text to 61016.”
Edinburgh outranks Glasgow to secure second place in Barclays Digital Safety Index
• Bank account fraud is the most common type of fraud in both cities
• Rural dwellers show greater levels of awareness and caution in how they behave online compared with those living in cities
• All regions outperformed London on the digital safety score
• Across the UK, only 17% of people can correctly identify basic digital safety threats such as social media messages intended to trick users into sharing personal details or downloading malware
• Barclays is spearheading a new £10m nationwide drive to increase the public’s awareness and is launching an online quiz to give everyone free digital safety scores and tips
• New debit card choices will allow customers to turn ‘on’ and ‘off ‘remote spending and change ATM limits at the touch of a button
Monday 8 May 2017: Edinburgh has outranked Glasgow to be named as one of the most ‘digitally safe’ cities in the UK, behind only Liverpool, according to a new study from Barclays which has scored the nation’s susceptibility to online scams and fraud.
Launched today, the Barclays Digital Safety Index score is based on the ability of 6,000 UK adults to protect data, devices, accounts, and to spot digital threats. Respondents in Edinburgh and Glasgow were asked to complete a digital safety test − similar to the hazard perception tests encountered by people taking driving theory exams − and answer questions about the steps they take to protect their devices from online threats.
On average, people from Edinburgh scored 6.25 in the test, lower than the national average score of 6.27, but higher than Glasgow which scored 6.05. With scores ranging from 1-10, (10 being the maximum safety score), there is plenty Scots could be doing to improve their digital safety.
DIGITAL SAFETY SCORE BY UK REGION
(scores from 1-10)
East Midlands – 6.46
Yorkshire & Humber – 6.39
North West England – 6.35
South West England – 6.33
East of England – 6.33
South East England – 6.33
Scotland – 6.29
Wales – 6.28
UK – 6.27
West Midlands – 6.22
North East England – 6.16
Northern Ireland – 6.12
London – 5.85
DIGITAL SAFETY SCORE BY UK CITY
(scores from 1-10)
Liverpool – 6.31
UK – 6.27
Edinburgh – 6.25
Sheffield – 6.21
Manchester – 6.21
Leeds – 6.14
Glasgow – 6.05
All major cities – 6.02
Birmingham – 5.85
London – 5.85
Bristol – 5.83
In Edinburgh, 12% of respondents had experienced bank account fraud, one in ten had been a victim of a purchase scam and just under 10% had fallen foul of a safe account scam where fraudsters claiming to be from their bank call and advise them to move their cash because of an issue with their account.
In Glasgow, bank account fraud again topped the poll with more than one in ten people affected. 11% of respondents had experienced scams in relation to an online shopping account while 10% has been targeted through payment accounts.
Overall, city dwellers are more at risk of cybercrime than those living in the country, 20% of rural residents claim to have experienced an online scam or fraud in the past three years, compared with a UK average of 25%. Behaviour also plays a key role. Rural dwellers in general show more awareness and caution in how they behave online, scoring more highly in our Digital Safety Index as well – averaging a 6.49 score compared with city average score of 6.02.
Across the UK as a whole, digital familiarity may be fueling online complacency, with the survey also revealing a generational ‘digital safety gap’ between younger and older respondents. On average, people scored 6.27 in the test, but digital awareness scores for the oldest age bracket (over 65s) were some 25% higher than the youngest age group tested (18-24 year olds), putting to bed the notion that older people are more at risk of being “duped” by cyber criminals. Furthermore, only 17% of all respondents were able to score full marks in the question asking them to correctly identify digital safety hazards: from online pop-ups and games, spam or “phishing” emails and “smishing” texts or social media messages that trick users into sharing personal details or downloading malware that leave devices vulnerable to hackers.
To encourage the nation to consider its own digital vulnerability, Barclays is calling for the public, police and businesses across the UK to unite and tackle this growing issue of public concern and has today launched a multi-million pound Digital Safety drive.
Jamie Grant, Head of Business and Corporate Banking at Barclays, said:
“The Barclays Digital Safety Index identifies the UK’s most vulnerable to cybercrime for the first time.
“With Scotland lagging behind in the Digital Safety Index and residents most commonly falling victim to bank account fraud, it’s evident that more needs to be done to improve awareness of both cybercrime and cybersecurity in this area.
“This is why we are encouraging everyone, even the most confident of digital users, to take our test and learn how they can stay safe in our digital age.”
Under the new Digital Safety drive:
• In a UK high street bank first, Barclays is giving customers new levels of control over when, where and how their debit card works, offering customers the choice to instantly turn ‘on’ and ‘off’ whether their card can be used to make remote purchases, and even set their own daily ATM withdrawal limits on their Barclays Mobile Banking app.
• A new online quiz is available to everyone in the UK from today. By answering simple questions people can assess their own digital safety level, and receive useful tips on how to strengthen their defences at barclays.co.uk/security. Barclays aims to help at least 3 million people to boost their digital safety levels by using the test.
• A new £10m national advertising campaign is being launched across national TV, print, online and billboards. It will alert people to the risk of fraud unless they take proper precautions, and will include content targeted towards younger people and those in urban areas.
• Barclays will be hosting regular fraud awareness takeovers on its online and mobile banking sites, prioritising fraud prevention over products.
• Barclays’ nationwide force of 17,000 Digital Eagles will provide digital safety teach-ins to people, and free support clinics for the 1 million UK SMEs we serve. Barclays LifeSkills is also launching new Digital Safety learning content specifically designed for younger people.
• Barclays is also leading industry efforts to prevent instances where customers are duped into withdrawing all their cash from branches and handing it to a scammer posing as a trusted person, through a new police hotline for branch colleagues to call.
Barclays estimates that if people implemented these three top tips we could help to cut levels of fraud by up to 75 per cent.
1. Never give out your full Online Banking PIN, Passcode or Password to anyone, even a caller claiming to be from the police or your bank.
2. Do not click on any link or open an attachment on any e-mail you receive which is unsolicited.
3. Avoid letting someone you do not know have access to your computer, especially remotely.
To find out how digitally safe you are, take the new quiz at the Barclays Digital Safety Hub www.barclays.co.uk/security or simply search for “Barclays Digital Safety”.
City rankings by proportion of residents to have suffered from scams in the past 3 years:
