Re: [Melb] Security guards on trains after 9pm / more staff on trains

[Vaughan Williams <ender2000@my-deja.com>]

Sounds to me like the Chubb men protecting the ticket machines all over
again.

Instead of adding 8 security guards to the transit police and the
ticket inspectors that wander around on fruitless hide and seek
patrols, why don't they start staffing the remaining stations and put a
conductor on the train?

That should cut vandalism down to a manageable level. I do wonder why
it is that vandalism has suddenly become a serious problem in the last
few months - Bayside wouldn't be skimping on maintenance and cleaning
now would they?

Vaughan

In article <qBwa5.13313$Tb7.89475@news-server.bigpond.net.au>,
  "Daniel Bowen" <dbowen@custard.REMOVE.net.au> wrote:
> http://www.theage.com.au/breaking/0007/11/A65399-2000Jul11.shtml
>
> Security guards for late-night trains
>
> Source: AAP|Published: Tuesday July 11, 8:36 AM
>
> Security guards will patrol late-night trains in Melbourne in a bid to
> ensure passenger safety.
> Bayside Trains communications manager Dean Souter said the company had
> launched a trial with security staff from Chubb Security to patrol
all nine
> of their lines from 9pm until the last train each evening.
> "They are not armed and they are instructed to deter, certainly their
role
> is not combative," he told Melbourne Radio 3AW.
> "Increasingly our customers are perceiving that it is unsafe on our
trains
> and that is because they're faced with more and more slashed seats and
> graffiti on the walls of the trains.
> "We're providing security staff as an effective deterrent to these
would-be
> vandals," Mr Souter said.
> Mr Souter said the higher security would not lead to an increase in
fares.
> The first squad of eight guards began patrolling train lines in the
western
> and south-eastern suburbs last night.
> Bayside operates Melbourne's Werribee, Williamstown, St Albans,
Pakenham,
> Cranbourne, Frankston, Sandringham, Broadmeadows and Upfield lines.
> ---------------
> http://www.theage.com.au/breaking/0007/11/A65535-2000Jul11.shtml
> Vic Govt to put 100 extra staff on trains
>
> Source: AAP|Published: Tuesday July 11, 11:29 AM
>
> MELBOURNE: The Victorian Government had allocated $20 million to put
100
> more staff on Melbourne trains in a bid to help passengers feel safer,
> acting premier John Thwaites said today.
> 'We committed that in the (May) budget and we're now negotiating with
the
> private operators of the trains so we can have those staff in place
later
> this year,' Mr Thwaites told radio 3AW.
> The extra staff would patrol trains and stations.
> 'There's no doubt that people need to feel secure if they're going to
travel
> on public transport, and we want to promote public transport,' Mr
Thwaites
> said.
> Mr Thwaites said restoring guards to trains would be unlikely to
alleviate
> passenger safety concerns if guards were merely placed at the back of
the
> train.
> Having security buttons for passengers was not a solution either
because by
> the time passengers used them they were probably already being
threatened.
> 'The key is to have (security) people moving around,' Mr Thwaites
said.
> A private train operator has already introduced security guards to
patrol
> late-night trains in Melbourne in a bid to ensure passenger safety.
> Bayside Trains' communications manager Dean Souter said the company
had
> launched a trial with security staff from Chubb Security to patrol
all nine
> of their lines from 9pm until the last train each evening.
> 'They are not armed and they are instructed to deter, certainly their
role
> is not combative,' Mr Souter told radio 3AW.
> 'Increasingly our customers are perceiving that it is unsafe on our
trains
> and that is because they're faced with more and more slashed seats and
> graffiti on the walls of the trains.
> 'We're providing security staff as an effective deterrent to these
would-be
> vandals.'
> Mr Souter said the move would not lead to an increase in fares.
> The first squad of eight guards began patrolling train lines in the
western
> and south-eastern suburbs last night.
> Bayside operates Melbourne's Werribee, Williamstown, St Albans,
Pakenham,
> Cranbourne, Frankston, Sandringham, Broadmeadows and Upfield lines.
>
> --
> Daniel Bowen, Melbourne, Australia
> dbowen@custard.REMOVE.net.au
> http://www.custard.net.au/bowen/daniel/
>
>


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