Amulet strengthens customer safety support for Avanti West Coast

The company will also introduce a new role, namely that of the ‘Safer Response Officer’, who will lead the assault reduction plan. This initiative will focus on a proactive approach to security and provide support for customers and colleagues who face workplace violence, as well as provide an extra layer of security safeguarding. Awareness enhancement will be rolled out among stakeholders and customers through safety awareness events at stations, briefings and training initiatives.

Avanti West Coast has been working with Amulet since 2022 after recognising the latter’s expertise in rail sector security and safety. Since then, Amulet has helped to transform the safeguarding team from a static security presence to a mobile unit operating across trains and stations.

Technology overhaul

The updated Travel Safe strategy will be delivered by 37 team members, including two supervisors and a contract manager. It also brings a technology overhaul, with upgraded phones and equipment in addition to new uniforms for team members.

The partnership’s success to date is demonstrated by industry recognition. Earlier this year, Amulet officers Marie Jones and Jenny McArthur were highly commended for the Unsung Hero Award at the Railway Children’s Safeguarding Champions event. They were awarded for supporting a vulnerable young person who was identified as being potentially at risk while travelling on the network. They also won an internal Amulet award for the same reason.

Within the ongoing collaboration, Amulet will continue to work closely with Avanti West Coast colleagues who plan for large events such as football matches, concerts and festivals, using the strategic deployment of ‘Safer Travel Officers’ to help manage large crowds. They will also conduct joint patrols with the British Transport Police (BTP), while also working with Network Rail and the BTP to patrol areas identified as high risk based on trend analysis.

Excellent results

Natalie Richbell-Beer, Avanti West Coast’s safeguarding and crime manager, said: “We’ve seen excellent results from our partnership with Amulet over the past three years. The company’s expertise in safeguarding and commitment to continuous improvement has transformed how we protect passengers across our network. We’re confident that the Travel Safe initiative will be a positive next step in our safeguarding strategy.”

Kieran Mackie, managing director of Amulet, commented: “We are proud to build on our successful partnership with Avanti West Coast. The investment in the Travel Safe team will realise the provision of additional support for customers through visible and expert safeguarding. Customer perception of safety is critical at times like this, and the Travel Safe team will provide exactly that.”

*Further information is available online at www.amulet.co.uk