South Western Railway (SWR) is trying out body-worn cameras for its guards working out of Fratton depot, Portsmouth, the southern end of the line that passes through Guildford to London.
The use of cameras is hoped to reduce anti-social behaviour on SWR’s trains and at its stations, as well as act as a deterrent to assaults, threats and abuse experienced by SWR colleagues.
The trial commenced today (Monday, 28 June) and could see body-worn cameras for all guards rolled out across the SWR network.
The trial will determine the impact of body-worn cameras by comparing the quality of footage to existing CCTV available, as well as whether the footage caught provides better quality evidence for prosecutions and cases in court.
Alan Penlington, SWR’s customer experience director, said: “While our trains and stations are already equipped with CCTV, we are always looking for ways to help our customers travel with confidence and ensure that colleagues feel safer at work.
“These body-worn cameras are designed to do just this, by deterring anti-social behaviour on our services and reducing the number of assaults our colleagues experience at work.
“While we wish that we could prevent every incident, we expect that the new footage will help authorities in any prosecutions by providing good quality evidence.”
If successful, SWR will look to roll out the use of body-worn cameras across the whole of its network.
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Jim Allen
June 28, 2021 at 5:16 pm
What sort of world and country do we live in when it is expected as part of dealing with the public that someone during the day will be subject to rudeness, insults or physical assault?
Time we found a way in this modern world to prompt and promote an etiquette of kindness and compassion. We should care for our fellow man rather than see them as someone on whom to vent our anger.