Security Guards at stations

[bicbasher]

Forest Hill has recently gained a security guard to patrol the concourse during the morning peak.

Presumably this is after a gateline assistant was assaulted in July along with renovation work which has made the ticket office vulnerable to a potential robbery.

Which other stations outside of the Network Rail managed stations have guards hired by the TOC to protect passengers and staff?

 

[tsr]

Wimbledon has security guards/suicide watch people. I'm not sure exactly what the job title is (I can't remember). They do a pretty good job and always seem to be proactive. If I end up waiting for a connection there, I do sometimes spend a few minutes on the Fast Line platforms having a quick look at what's passing through, so I've occasionally spoken to them - it's always best to do that if you're hanging around six feet from where trains are flying through, just so they're reassured that you are not going to jump (sadly, it happens too much there).

 

[DarloRich]

Milton Keynes has security guards who wander about all day long

 

[ChiefPlanner]

St Albans - looking after bike racks and car parks also ...

 

[142094]

Some East Coast stations have staff in yellow hi-viz jackets wandering around - whether they are normal staff employed by East Coast or an external company I'm unsure.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

Worcester Foregate Street has security as I seen them and the police arrest some guy in front of his children. Newark Northgate also had a heavy on the gateline with an orange armband on.

 

[Harlesden]

Forest Hill has recently gained a security guard to patrol the concourse during the morning peak.

Presumably this is after a gateline assistant was assaulted in July along with renovation work which has made the ticket office vulnerable to a potential robbery.

Which other stations outside of the Network Rail managed stations have guards hired by the TOC to protect passengers and staff?

Surely the ticket office should be closed until it can be made secure for the staff who work there. A vulnerable ticket office is a security risk - much more important than a small potential loss of revenue

 

[SeanG]

Teeming with them on the South Wales Valleys

 

[SWT_USER]

Hayes and Harlington and Ealing Broadway have someone walking around on platforms 2/3, not sure if Hayes still does now that the barriers have gone up blocking access to platform 2.

 

[Mojo]

Kenton, South Kenton, North Wembley, Harlesden, Kensal Green, Gunnersbury and Kew Gardens stations have contract security guards overnight who work from when the booking office staff (employed by LUL) go home around 9pm, until when they return in the morning around 6am.

 

[bicbasher]

Surely the ticket office should be closed until it can be made secure for the staff who work there. A vulnerable ticket office is a security risk - much more important than a small potential loss of revenue

On the day I visited when I witnessed the security guard on duty, the DDA compliant booth had been installed with the workmen and a clerk testing the microphone and speaker.

They also installed a wooden enclosure ensuring that the public had no access to the exposed part of the ticket office, which has three booths before the window was installed.

 

[313103]

The ever expanding 'CASUALISATION' of the railway.

Very soon there will be more people employed in the rail industry who are not employed by a rail company, then there will be people employed by a rail company.

In order to make DOO workable on the NLL more security staff have been employed from an outside agency to make station and safety announcements, yet 124 Conductors are to be withdrawn.

 

[CatfordCat]

Reading Station tends to have security staff around late evenings when there are few rail staff to be seen.

FCC often have security staff assisting with things like terminating trains at otherwise unstaffed stations. Not sure how regular this is, but it's fairly common when there's engineering work and trains are terminating at unusual places.

SWT had security staff out at Ascot and Twickenham the other weekend when there were big events on at both locations. Some of the latter were working pretty close to the platform edge and certainly seemed to be assisting in train despatch - presume they can't just do that 'off the street'?

 

[BestWestern]

Swindon, Weston Super Mare and the dreaded Bridgwater all have a security presence, G4S I believe.

 

[Mojo]

Whenever I used to pass through Birmingham Moor St (about 2 yrs - 18 mts ago) there was a security guard there; he had a Chiltern Railways name badge but was not in Chiltern uniform, just a HiVi ''puffa'' jacket. No matter what time of day, at lunchtime or the last train it was the same guy all the time. I don't know whether it was a pair of lookalike brothers or what, but always made me laugh

 

[Temple Meads]

and the dreaded Bridgwater all have a security presence, G4S I believe.

Correct. You wouldn't think a smallish Somerset town's station would justify a security guard, but unfortunately most of the residents of said town leave quite a lot to be desired

 

[HowardGWR]

Correct. You wouldn't think a smallish Somerset town's station would justify a security guard, but unfortunately most of the residents of said town leave quite a lot to be desired

Perhaps 'some' rather than 'most' would be a shade more accurate. Deary me.:cry:

 

[bicbasher]

Forest Hill had a STM security guard on the gateline on Saturday evening, however as the wide gate and one of the others has a fault, all the gates were open, so people without Oyster were able to access the platforms without showing a ticket.

When I returned to the station at 2356, I didn't see any LO or STM employees on the station premises despite the claims of staffing until the last train which is at 0049 on a Saturday.

 

[pethadine82]

Do these security guards have an SIA license (The blue card that you see on their arm)

 

[BestWestern]

Correct. You wouldn't think a smallish Somerset town's station would justify a security guard, but unfortunately most of the residents of said town leave quite a lot to be desired

Perhaps 'some' rather than 'most' would be a shade more accurate. Deary me.:cry:

Hmmm. Or perhaps 'an above average proportion of'. Deary me indeed.

 

[bicbasher]

Do these security guards have an SIA license (The blue card that you see on their arm)

As far as I could see, yes. STM Security also provide LOROL's 'Travel Safe' officers and some if not all the platform tannoy people, who don't wear the blue badge.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Do these security guards have an SIA license (The blue card that you see on their arm)

It is the case now that anyone employed by an accredited security company has to be an SIA license holder.

As a very basic explanation, the blue stripe on an SIA license is a standard issue to cover the basic tasks performed, whereas the orange stripe on an SIA license holder signifies the extra training requirements that the holders of these licenses need to correctly perform their duties, such as door staff and certain front line duties where they are likely to be in a greater chance of dealing with the general public where this extra training will be of use.

 

[Mojo]

I don't know the rules; but are security firms allowed to employ people in 'Customer service' roles to get around the need to be licensed?

 

[beano900]

I've noticed a bloke in hi viz wandering around Manchester Oxford Road lately. Not sure whether he's part of the work they are doing there or just a generally security man. He seems to go round checking all 5 platforms though.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I've noticed a bloke in hi viz wandering around Manchester Oxford Road lately. Not sure whether he's part of the work they are doing there or just a generally security man. He seems to go round checking all 5 platforms though.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

A high-visibility vest is somewhat way down the security accreditation. Any holder of an SIA badge of any level is expected to have this on view at all times, either on a lanyard or affixed to the clothing. Some "orange stripe" SIA badge holders wear a leather arm badge holder that contains the said badge.

 

[Chapeltom]

There's security guards at Stockport station, one of which I saw 2-3 nights running earlier in the year when there was rail replacement buses running, no coincidence of course, always a security guard knocking about at SPT. He was a helpful chap, its a reassuring presence to have late at night at stations and when they can advise/help you, even better.

 

[Carlisle]

I used to notice security guards walking through terminating c2c trains at pitsea station not sure if that's still the case though

 

[Clip]

I don't know the rules; but are security firms allowed to employ people in 'Customer service' roles to get around the need to be licensed?

I dont believe so. This is why Network rail changed the status of their Major stations staff from security too 'Customer assistant' or whatever it was and then employed staff from an outside agency to assist with SIA accredited security work.

 

[Gathursty]

I made brief eye contact with security guards at Chorleywood and Amersham last night whilst bagging in Metro-land. It was unusual for me to see such guards coming from up North but it must be the norm for Tube stations (well mixed use stations such as these).

 

[merlodlliw]

Wrexham General appears to have 24/7 agency people on duty, hi Viz but no identity tag, Im told they are protecting the large generator that powers the new lifts as the mains electric feed was not powerful enough, this gene as been running for at least a couple of years, I also notice them around the platforms,probably to break boredom.