CALEDONIAN Sleeper staff are set to wear body cameras amid concerns over an “increase in verbal abuse”.
Operators of the iconic sleeper train, linking London with Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Fort William and Aberdeen, will spend around £200,000 equipping crew members with the technology.
The Ross-shire Journal reported that a new public contract issued by Caledonian Sleeper Limited (CSL) said verbal assaults on staff have increased.
“Due to an increase in instances of verbal assault, CSL has taken the decision to introduce Body Worn Video Cameras (BWVC) for all on-board and station lounge staff,” the contract reads.
It states 100 BWVC, costing approximately £200k over three years, will be needed.
Kathryn Darbandi, managing director of Caledonian Sleeper, said: “The safety and well-being of both our guests and our team is of paramount importance.
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“Therefore, in line with the trends seen across the rail industry, we have taken the decision to incorporate body-worn video cameras onto our services.”
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “While the vast majority of passengers behave responsibly, any abuse of frontline public transport staff is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
“Everyone working or using public transport has an absolute right to go about their business without fear of abuse.”
CSL is owned and overseen by Scottish Rail Holdings Ltd (SRH Ltd), which is owned by the Scottish Government.
The service was brought back into public ownership in June 2023 after the previous operator Serco’s contract was terminated seven years early.
The Caledonian Sleeper is one of only two overnight services in the UK, with the other being the Night Riviera from London to Penzance in Cornwall.
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