THURROCK Council, in collaboration with Southend on Sea City Council and Essex County Council, is set to launch new Transport Safety Officers as part of a Department for Transport pilot that aims to improve safety on public transport across the two train lines across Essex on Greater Anglia and C2C.
The new Transport Safety Officers (TSO) will patrol targeted routes and locations, working in co-ordination with the British Transport Police and Essex Police. The officers will work to improve safety with an emphasis on engagement and education. However, they will also hold the power to issue fixed penalty notices in response to certain antisocial behaviour offences such as disorder, smoking, littering and graffiti. The officers will also be providing visible reassurance regarding violence against women and girls.
Cllr Andrew Jefferies, Leader of Thurrock Council and Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: “This funding and these officers will help us ensure that public transport in the borough, and throughout Essex, is safe and free from anti-social behaviour.
“The officers will aim to engage and educate in the first instance but that will be backed by enforcement powers that mean they will be able to issue fixed penalty notices for certain types of anti-social behaviour.
“This pilot is welcome for the borough. We know that our community safety officers have had a real impact in tacking anti-social behaviour so I am pleased to see this scheme which will extend that to public transport to protect passengers as they go about their business.”
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