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RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: october 2018 :: RMTnews
4
RMT members remained solid
and determined in the
continuing fight for safety on
Northern Rail and South
Western Railway as new British
Transport Police figures revealed
a shocking increase in violence
on Britain's railways.
The figures, backed up by
hard evidence released by RMT
in a survey of guards, show
massive increases in sexual
assaults, violence and robbery.
The BTP figures show that all
crime in the area served by the
Northern franchise increased to
7,611 offences in the year and
violence against the person had
increased by nearly 20 per cent.
The statistics include 382
serious assaults, 809 common
assaults, two firearm offences,
167 sexual crimes including 100
sexual offences against females,
and 1,522 instances of theft of
passenger property:
At the 330 unstaffed stations
on Northern routes, protection
and assistance for passengers
and the train driver at stations
is currently provided by the
guard who is on all trains.
Northern is planning for at
least 50 per cent of services to
have no guards with many lines
and routes completely unstaffed.
RMT general secretary Mick
Cash said that the shocking
figures were nothing short of
criminal negligence on the part
of those rail companies that
have axed guards and de-staffed
stations in the drive for profits.
“RMT has warned that they
would be turning our railways
into a criminals' paradise and
they have ignored us and those
private rail companies should be
hanging their heads in shame.
"No one knows better the
impact on passenger safety and
security than front line staff and
it is frankly disgusting that
operators like Northern and
SWR, where RMT members are
striking for safety again, have
ignored the warnings and
ploughed ahead with their
dangerous and toxic plans to
axe guards on their trains.
"The de-staffing of Britain's
STRIKE ACTION AT
NORTHERN AND SOUTH
WESTERN RAILWAY
RMT calls for immediate halt to de-staffing
plans as violence on Britain's railways soars
Carlisle
Workington