National Rail security campaign launched

A national campaign to encourage train passengers to report any unusual items or activity has been launched by Rail Minister Paul Maynard.

The ‘See it. Say it. Sorted.’ campaign aims to help build a more vigilant network on railways across the country and raise awareness of the vital role the public can play in keeping themselves and others safe.

Designed by the government, police and the rail industry, the campaign complements the British Transport Police’s innovative 61016 text service, which allows the public to report non-emergency incidents on the railway discreetly 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.

Maynard said: “We want to send a clear message to anyone threatening the security of the rail network that there are thousands of pairs of eyes and ears ready to report any potential threat to the British Transport Police and rail staff who are ready to respond to these reports.

“This campaign is aimed at our railways but the recent incident at North Greenwich underground station, where an alert member of the public reported an unattended bag to a member of staff, reminds us just how important it is to be vigilant.”

Alun Thomas, British Transport Police temporary assistant chief constable, added: “Don’t be afraid to report anything that feels out of place. We rely on information from the public to help us keep the rail network safe.

“It could be someone avoiding rail staff or police, leaving a bag on the railway, checking out security arrangements like CCTV or trying to access staff-only areas. If it doesn’t feel right, we want to hear from you. Let us decide if what you have seen or what you know is important. We will check the information thoroughly.”