The Light Rail Safety and Standards Board (LRSSB) and KeolisAmey Metrolink (KAM) are funding a pioneering project using state-of-the-art digital technology to show the impact of verbal and physical assaults on tram staff.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Virtual Reality (VR) technology is being used as part of a project in local schools across Greater Manchester as part of the Bee Network\u2019s TravelSafe Partnership Education and Engagement Programme. This has seen VR headsets being deployed in schools to really show the impact that this unacceptable behaviour has on not only the victims but also bystanders.<\/p>\n
Craig O\u2019Brien, Head of Engineering and Innovation at the LRSSB, said: \u201cBoth physical and verbal assaults can have a profound impact on people who are just going about doing their own work, and such incidents can also be distressing for witnesses to the incident.<\/p>\n
\u201cNew software for the headsets enables users to experience simulated assaults through the eyes of the victim and people who may be passing by, raising awareness of the issue and hopefully making some people think twice before engaging in criminal or anti-social behaviour.\u201d<\/p>\n
More than 600 youngsters from Year 9 upwards have used the hi-tech headsets so far to view a short film, entitled No Excuse for Abuse.<\/p>\n
Within weeks, the initiative started to deliver impressive results, and a recent survey found that 94% of respondents said the film has changed their perception of transport staff, and 90% said they are more likely to show greater respect to them. Of those questioned, 79% also said they have a better understanding of the impact ASB has on transport staff, and 85% now understand the consequences of having a criminal record if they are abusive to staff.<\/p>\n
Louise Barry, Head of Customer and Growth at KAM, commented: \u201cUnfortunately, our front-line staff are routinely subjected to the threat of violence and intimidation simply for carrying out their role.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe safety and well-being of our colleagues is crucial, but it is vital that we protect our staff, as without them, we can\u2019t look after our customers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhilst adults do commit assaults against our staff, young people are also offenders, and early education is crucial. The VR film aimed at preventing projectiles thrown at vehicles has already generated empathy and changed behaviours, mitigating future criminal activities, and it\u2019s clear this latest project is having a similar impact.\u201d<\/p>\n
The \u00a360,000 project is building on a similar initiative in Greater Manchester, called \u201cA Victimless Crime\u201d, that also used VR to highlight the dangers of throwing objects at trains, trams and buses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Light Rail Safety and Standards Board (LRSSB) and KeolisAmey Metrolink (KAM) are funding a pioneering project using state-of-the-art digital technology to show the impact of verbal and physical assaults on tram staff.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[111],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61887"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=61887"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61887\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61888,"href":"https:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61887\/revisions\/61888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=61887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=61887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.britishtramsonline.co.uk\/news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=61887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}