Rail Pastors, a volunteer scheme in north London sponsored by the British Transport Police (BTP) and the train operator Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) have won an award for community engagement. They were among winners at the British Transport Police’s Complementary Policing Awards on March 30, in central London. The pastors offer help to those on the railway that may be vulnerable or in distress. The Rail Pastors scheme was set up in August 2014 jointly by the BTP and First Capital Connect, to target potentially vulnerable people. GTR continues to support the scheme since it took over the franchise in September 2014 from First. The volunteers work at Hendon, Mill Hill Broadway and Cricklewood in teams of four, in a three hour shift pattern. The scheme is being expanded across the Thameslink and Great Northern routes from May 2015.
GTR provides complimentary travel passes, uniform and a mobile phone to the volunteers. They attend a two day training course focusing firstly on safety and the railway; and the Samaritans MSC course. Rail Pastors are empowered to order taxis to ensure vulnerable people are able to get home and regularly receive police briefings and updates.
Crime Prevention Manager for Govia Thameslink Railway, Tony Holland said:
“This award is a great tribute to the work that Rail Pastors do. In a very short time they have established themselves as proactive and reassuring presence on our stations”
Paul Lewis, Rail Pastors co-ordinator added: “The entire Barnet Rail Pastor team were tremendously encouraged by the award presented to us by the British Transport Police. Not only were we thrilled to bits to win the trophy, we were particularly pleased with the recognition of the nature of our work. This acts as a wonderful springboard to develop and expand this exciting initiative to new parts of the rail network. Furthermore, the award inspires us to recruit more volunteers, serves to re-ignite our passion to help vulnerable people.”
Street Pastors, the forerunners of Rail Pastors, have been operating in north London and around the country for years offering support, and someone to talk to, often calming heated situations.
