New transport safety officers recruited to boost patrols

The number of specially trained officers helping to keep passengers safe by patrolling the region’s bus, train and tram networks has been doubled following a new recruitment drive.

Six new transport safety officers (TSOs) have joined the region’s Safer Travel Team to help tackle and deter offenders on the network, a key priority for Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands.

The new recruits joined Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) in December, taking the total number of TSOs available for patrol to 16.

New Transport Safety recruits - Esha Sheemar and Nikodem Szewczyk at Moor Street Station

They will deal with low-level nuisance, disorder and anti-social behaviour and have the power to issue fixed penalty notices.

They will target routes, stops and stations based on reports of incidents submitted by transport staff and the public.

A key focus is tackling violence against women and girls - three of the new recruits are women. The officers are trained to assist female passengers who may feel threatened – escorting them to safety or checking they are not being followed.

The Mayor said: “People deserve to feel safe when taking public transport - whether that’s on our buses, trains or trams.

“While reports of crime on our network are relatively low, I want to keep it that way, and any one incident is one too many.

“That’s why I’ve increased the number of officers we have in our Transport Safety Team. It means you will see more staff on patrols on our network, especially in the evenings, ensuring safer journeys for everyone.”

The TSOs work closely with police through the West Midlands Safer Travel Partnership – a collaboration between TfWM, West Midlands Police and the British Transport Police.

Although incidents are low on the network - just one crime in every 50,000 bus journeys – the presence of uniformed officers serves as a deterrent and provides reassurance for passengers. 

The TSOs are divided into four teams, one of which is focused on buses, another on rail and Metro, the third on tackling violence against women and girls and the fourth serves as a response team to deal with specific issues as they arise.

TfWM, which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), pioneered the use of TSOs and was asked by the Department for Transport last year to assist other transport authorities in setting up their own safer travel teams.