Recently I was on the DLR when a passenger noticed a child’s rucksack had been left on the train. She alerted the train manager who spoke to control and was advised just to take it to lost property. He didn’t look in the bag which remained with him on the train.
A couple of weeks before I’d found a small bag left on a train at Fenchurch Street. With no staff on the platform I told the member of staff on the gateline. He said that he couldn’t leave the gate and told me to find security. I felt that I’d done my bit in telling a member of staff (as the See it, Say it, Sorted message constantly tells us to do) and after some discussion he agreed that he’d tell someone else.
A few days later I was near Oxford when a tourist left a rucksack on a bus, which was then evacuated along with a number of buildings and roads cordoned off.
The risk from all three instances was probably very low but the responses quite different.
Is it now normal that the railway takes minimal action for what appear to be low risk unattended bags?
I’m not saying that this is wrong – the risk is generally low and if stations were evacuated every time a bag was left behind it would cause much disruption – but it’s not the action that the constant messages leads us to expect.
A couple of weeks before I’d found a small bag left on a train at Fenchurch Street. With no staff on the platform I told the member of staff on the gateline. He said that he couldn’t leave the gate and told me to find security. I felt that I’d done my bit in telling a member of staff (as the See it, Say it, Sorted message constantly tells us to do) and after some discussion he agreed that he’d tell someone else.
A few days later I was near Oxford when a tourist left a rucksack on a bus, which was then evacuated along with a number of buildings and roads cordoned off.
The risk from all three instances was probably very low but the responses quite different.
Is it now normal that the railway takes minimal action for what appear to be low risk unattended bags?
I’m not saying that this is wrong – the risk is generally low and if stations were evacuated every time a bag was left behind it would cause much disruption – but it’s not the action that the constant messages leads us to expect.