bramling
Veteran Member
I was in an enforcement type role until recently (done about 12 years in the job). We didn’t wear stab vests and often worked alone. I think common sense plays a part in this to a large extent. If I encountered people with their feet on the seats I’d say something like, “can you drop your feet down please mate/chaps/whatever term was most relevant to them”). I’ve never had any issues and I think Guards should feel comfortable in doing the same. I’ve only seen people get the hump when staff have been rude or abrupt in asking the question. Obviously.
I mentioned common sense; If there’s a large group of lads larking around and being generally anti-social, I’d rather concentrate on more pressing issues of their language and out people in the carriage. If it meant letting their feet on the seat slide so as not to just keep on at them about all the offences their committing and concentrating on the most serious, then so be it. If a guard witnessed this, I’d never expect them to get involved and just text or call BTP and generally show a presence.
In general terms, I really don’t think we are at the stage in terms of violent crime which means rail staff should be afraid to politely ask a customer to take their feet off the seats.
There isn’t really an issue with staff doing it, as they’re slightly more tooled up than the average punter. Whether it’s worthwhile is another matter, as there’s nothing to stop the feet being returned to the seat as soon as the member of staff’s back is turned. Perhaps I’m just getting too cynical as a natural consequence of getting older!
But punters taking it upon themselves to lay down discipline is a no-no as far as I’m concerned, for numerous very good reasons. Things have certainly turned nastier over the last couple of decades, and this isn’t just perception as where I am the paperwork backs this perception up in terms of the number of fights and similar incidents on trains - some of this may be accounted for by trains having got busier, but the end result is the same, namely more bad people.