Twelve railway stations on the East Coast Main Line have been awarded a national security rating.
The stations, all of which are managed by National Express East Coast, have won ‘Secure Stations’ status from the British Transport Police (BTP) and the Department for Transport (DfT).
The Government-backed scheme aims at improving personal security at railway stations. The national scheme covers all rail and underground networks policed by the BTP. It sets out good practice standards and recognises stations which work with the transport police and other local partners to implement security measures. The 12 stations which now have Secure Stations status are:
• Dunbar
• Berwick-upon-Tweed
• Newcastle
• Durham
• Darlington
• York
• Wakefield Westgate
• Doncaster
• Retford
• Newark North Gate
• Grantham
• Peterborough.
To qualify for Secure Stations status, there are four key levels of security which have to be reached:
• the design of the station has to confirm to standards set by the British Transport Police to prevent and reduce crime;
• the way the station is run has to allow for crime prevention, response to incidents and communication with customers;
• statistics for the station for 12 months prior to an inspection must demonstrate positive efforts to manage crime; and
• a survey of station users has to demonstrate that on the whole, customers feel secure when using the station.
National Express East Coast’s head of stations Anna Heathcote said: “Our customers should feel safe and secure at all times. This important accreditation is the result of a lot of hard work by our employees, in partnership with the transport police. We are investing in our stations as safe and welcoming gateways to rail travel.”
The 12 stations have in recent years had improvements including new and extended CCTV coverage, improved lighting and signage.
