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Reduction in railway suicides hailed

by Mark Rowe

Samaritans, Network Rail, British Transport Police (BTP) and the wider rail industry have hailed their suicide prevention partnership that is seeing potentially life-saving interventions increasing. Around one in six rail staff is now trained to prevent people taking their lives on the railway

Between April 2016 and the end of March 2017, some 1,593 interventions were made across Britain’s rail network by staff, British Transport Police, local police and the public, an increase of 40 percent on the previous year, BTP report. In the same period, suicides and suspected suicides on the rail network (not including London Underground) dropped from 253 to 237, showing a decline in rail suicides for the second year in a row. This is a fall of 18 percent in two years and 2016/17 represents the lowest yearly figure since 2010.

Samaritans delivers two training courses for railway staff and BTP officers. One, how to identify and approach people who may be suicidal. The other, trauma support training, aimed at those who may be affected by a suicide on the railway.

Samaritans CEO Ruth Sutherland said: “The reduction in suicides on the railway shows that the partnership between Samaritans, Network Rail, BTP and the wider rail industry is making a real difference. But suicide is everybody’s business and we want to see the same dramatic reduction in suicide figures in general. We look forward to taking this learning to a wider audience and having an even greater impact on suicide numbers in the coming years.”

Ian Stevens, who manages the suicide prevention work on behalf of the rail industry, said: “It’s encouraging to see the number of suicides on the railway fall for the second year in a row, and hopefully this trend continues in line with our ongoing suicide prevention work. Around one in six rail staff is now trained in suicide prevention and their commitment to preventing suicides on the railway is translating into lives saved on the ground. Put simply, we are now more likely to intervene and prevent people being injured or killed through suicide attempts on the railway.

“As the operators of the rail network in Britain, we have a responsibility to keep passengers, staff and members of the public safe. Alongside physical measures such as new barriers, fencing and lighting at stations, we will continue our work with Samaritans to prevent suicides and break down the stigma associated with mental health issues.”

Mark Smith, National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health lead for British Transport Police added: “As the national police service for the railways, we are committed to reducing suicide and to our partnership with the rail industry and Samaritans. We are very pleased to see the reduction in suicides and suspected suicides and the increase in life-saving interventions for the second year in succession.

“One of our contributions is through the work of our suicide prevention and mental health teams, which have NHS Psychiatric nurses working alongside police officers and staff. These teams work with statutory and third sector partners to help those people that come to the railway in mental health crisis or suicidal circumstances, access effective care pathways and get on the road to recovery. In the last year, these joint health and policing teams and our Community Safety Unit in Scotland, dealt with nearly 2,000 cases, which includes 86 people who survived a suicide attempt on the railway with serious injuries.”

Last year, Samaritans’ We Listen campaign was launched with posters in railway stations across England, Scotland and Wales, highlighting the importance of seeking help if you are struggling to cope, rather than hiding your feelings and suffering in silence. The campaign has been extended to hospitals, GP surgeries and sports events, and appears on the side of buses.

Background

Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 and of men and women aged 20 to 34, say Samaritans, a charity. Railway suicides continue to account for about four percent of all suicides in the UK.

How to call

You can call Samaritans for free any time from any phone on 116 123 (that will not appear on your phone bill), email [email protected], or visit www.samaritans.org to find details of your nearest branch, where you can talk to someone face to face.

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