South Western Railway (SWR) has warned of an "unacceptable" rise in assaults and abuse against its colleagues, as the operator expands the use of body-worn video cameras across its network.

Figures show that so far this year, SWR has recorded more than two assaults a day against staff, ranging from violent attacks to verbal threats.

According to British Transport Police (BTP), the number of violent and public order offences reported on the network has doubled since 2020-21, with similar increases seen in other frontline industries such as the NHS and retail.

SWR says these incidents can have a serious impact on staff wellbeing and railway operations, as employees may need time off to recover. Perpetrators can also face criminal investigation and prosecution.

After a successful trial in 2021, SWR has introduced cameras for customer-facing roles, including train guards and gateline assistants.

The devices, which capture 30 seconds of footage prior to activation, act both as a deterrent and as a source of video and audio evidence to support prosecutions.

To accompany the rollout, SWR has launched a new poster campaign showing abuse from the perspective of a body-worn camera. The images also depict perpetrators facing arrest, trial and prison.

SWR's new campaign poster for the body cameras (credit: SWR).

A University of Cambridge study, commissioned by the Rail Delivery Group and BTP, suggests body-worn video cameras can reduce the likelihood of assault against the wearer by almost 50%.

Jane Lupson, Safety and Security Director for South Western Railway, said: "The rise in abuse directed against our colleagues, including daily assaults, is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

"Keeping people safe on our railway is always our number one priority, not least our colleagues who serve our customers with care every day.

"The introduction of body-worn video cameras will help deter anyone thinking of abusing a colleague and help prosecute those who do."

SWR has achieved a 100% score for two years running in BTP's Safeguarding on Rail scheme, the highest possible rating.

Staff can now also use a new in-house app to report incidents directly to BTP, making the process faster and easier.

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