A new £800,000 investment in CCTV, Metro safety volunteers, increased lighting and a new reporting app is aiming to make travel safer for women and other passengers as well as visitors to local parks following a award to the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuiness, from the government’s Safer Streets fund.
Nexus has been working alongside the Police Commissioner to secure this funding and has welcomed the news as it builds on the work it is already doing to keep the Tyne and Wear Metro network safe and secure for all passengers.
The first safety package sees the Commissioner working alongside Nexus, bus operators and the regional transport board on a £400,000 package which will include:
- A new reporting app to transform how passengers report crime and anti-social behaviour
- Body-worn cameras for transport staff
- Street Pastor-style safety volunteers on patrol across the Metro network
- Extra CCTV linked to control rooms
Martin Kearney, Nexus Chief Operating Officer, said: “We have worked in partnership with the Police and Crime Commissioner to build the Safer Streets bid and we’re delighted that it’s been successful. It is vital customers feel safe on public transport at all times and we look forward to working with Kim McGuinness and our police force on this scheme. Crime rates on the Tyne and Wear Metro are low for a network of its size, but we will never stop working to build customer confidence and deal with anti-social behaviour. Nexus has already invested in new CCTV and body worn cameras, and we are committed to increasing the visibility of customer support staff on to the network later this year. The Safer Streets funding bid will really help us to build on this work and we can’t wait to get started.”
Kim McGuinness added: ““I want Northumberland, Tyne and Wear to have a first-class public transport network in which women and all passengers feel safe to travel. This £800,000 is a vital first step towards that. When people are on a bus or a Metro they should know that there is always help at hand. We want to give the reporting of anti-social behaviour a complete overhaul and make it so much easier for local people to get the help they need when they need it. We also want to implement practical solutions like help points and improve lighting. We want to support all this with educational campaigns to raise awareness and promote the support services that people can turn to.”