I think some of the issues about this stem from communication. We get a lot of complaints from customers about being issued with UFNs, a lot of which come from misunderstandings on their part - customers think they can just pay on the train, then find the conductor doesn't come around (because they don't have to), so then queue up at Leeds or Victoria or wherever to pay, get approached by a Loss Prevention Officer, and say that they came from Station X. The LPO will have a list of stations with ticket-buying facilities, and if Station X is one of those, they will issue the notice - the problem is, we have ticket offices that close early (particularly on weekends) and TVMs that aren't always working or will have been removed to be upgraded. The LPOs aren't always aware of this, because they aren't necessarily informed
I suppose the point to remember is this - the LPOs have been trained to deal with wilful fare evasion, and no doubt have to deal with a lot of it. That probably informs the way they deal with all cases. They also have to deal with a lot of customers who are totally oblivious to the NRCoT obligation to buy a ticket before boarding at a station with ticket-buying facilities, and then get very defensive when questioned on this. As far as they're concerned, they're doing what they have always done so they don't think they have done anything wrong. We have a lot of complaints in from people who think that we have changed our rules recently, or think that we are "criminialising" them. In their complaints, they tend to describe the LPOs as intimidating and rude, even if most of the time they're actually just telling them politely that they have broken the law (which is true, of course!). Additionally, they also think UFNs are fines, which they aren't. It's understandable that they would feel anxious about this - but we have done a big campaign over the last year to raise awareness that you have to buy before you board. Ignorance isn't an excuse is the eyes of the law
I think the company appreciates it's not ideal - changes are afoot in the coming weeks and months. However, this is something that's going to take a lot of time to adjust to, simply because customers think that they can either get away without paying or that they can buy a ticket on the train. As we move towards having TVMs at virtually every station, more staffed stations and more ticket barriers, I suspect this will continue to be an issue, because more and more customers will be walking past TVMs to get on the train without a ticket, and more of them will then be confronted by LPOs at the other end of the line