Developing a policy

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Developing a Policy

Few operators have a designated member of staff with responsibility for personal security. Initiatives have often relied on the interest and dedication of an individual, so that if they leave or change jobs within the organisation, the momentum can be lost. Furthermore, initiatives tend to be taken as a reaction to local problems, with few having been developed as part of a comprehensive strategy across the whole field of operation.

This paper suggests ways in which the issue of personal security can be given appropriate status, underpinned by a policy which enables the organisation to take a comprehensive approach to the problem.

Locating Personal Security within the Organisation

Personal security as an issue has evolved quite recently for many transport operators. As such it has commonly tended to become the responsibility of the person or department dealing either with revenue protection or with accidents and fire safety. While such staff may have a level of expertise in these areas, they rarely have a background or similar level of knowledge in personal security or crime prevention.

It is recommended that operators designate a member of staff or team (depending on the size of the company) to have responsibility for personal security. In this way those responsible will be able to develop the skills, knowledge and experience necessary to develop the organisation's personal security strategy.

Consideration will need to be given to the positioning of this individual or team within the organisation. Their location within a department and level of seniority should reflect the importance attached to their task, and should enable them to influence the various aspects of the operation as appropriate. This may be achieved by designating a member of the Board or Management Group with specific responsibility for personal security issues.

Developing a Personal Security Strategy

The role of the personal security officer or team should include responsibility for:

Monitoring incidents and identifying trends

this will involve receiving and analysing incident reports, feeding back information to managers at local level, and identifying trends which may inform and guide new initiatives or changes in work practices

Coordinating existing action

the presence of a dedicated individual or team for personal security should not prevent managers undertaking local initiatives, but these should be coordinated to avoid duplication and ensure that good practice is promoted across the organisation

Professional updating

the individual or team should ensure that they are aware of current practice and new developments in the wider sphere of crime prevention and personal security, and provide briefings to managers

Commissioning research

surveys of passengers or staff may be needed from time to time in order to develop initiatives which address their fears and concerns. Such surveys may also need to be undertaken to evaluate specific initiatives of changes of policy and assess their impact on passenger and/or staff perceptions of security

Liaising with other agencies

this individual or team will provide a point of contact for other organisations, and should be proactive in seeking opportunities for working with other agencies to address common problems

Developing a forward strategy

rather than being purely reactive to problems as they arise, a forward strategy will take an overview of the issues and devise a comprehensive programme of action

Developing a Personal Security Policy

A personal security policy is a statement which sets out the organisation's principles and objectives in relation to personal security. These will underpin all initiatives taken to improve passenger and staff security. It needs to be general enough to apply to a range of situations and problems, and withstand changes in circumstance that occur from time to time. But it should not be so general as to become bland and meaningless.

A personal security policy might include:

  • A statement of the problem recognising that the issue is one not only of reported and recorded crime, but of perceptions of security which may result from unreported incidents or factors affecting the wider travelling environment
  • A commitment by the organisation to tackling the problem, endorsed at the highest level
  • Designation of a senior member of staff (or Board Member) to have specific responsibility for this issue, to ensure that the policy is implemented
  • A commitment to encourage the reporting of incidents by staff and passengers, however trivial they may seem, along with a commitment to taking appropriate action and feeding back any consequences to the person who reported
  • The organisation's practice in relation to recording and monitoring of incidents at local level and centrally, so that patterns and trends are identified and preventive action taken
  • Recognition of the risks faced by front line staff in the course of their work, and a commitment to minimising those risks through improved work practice, physical security measures and training as appropriate
  • The role of staff in improving passenger security and ways in which this will be taken into account in their selection, deployment and training
  • The importance of design of the infrastructure and vehicles in reducing crime and reassuring passengers ensuring that all new facilities are designed and planned to reduce crime and fear of crime, and that steps are taken with existing facilities to ameliorate the effects of poor design
  • The importance of a well maintained environment in providing reassurance to passengers with a commitment to regular inspection, and the rapid removal of litter, cleaning of graffiti, and replacement and repair of damage
  • The role of information in providing reassurance and helping passengers to plan their journey ensuring that passengers are given up to date and accurate information at the point of service, and that signage enables them to find their way around and out of transport infrastructure with confidence
  • The importance of the whole journey with a commitment to working with other organisations to address the social and environmental issues which do not fall within the remit of the operator but which affect the passenger's personal security across the whole journey, including while waiting and walking to and from the stop or station.