Amulet is set to strengthen its role within Avanti West Coast’s safeguarding programme as the two organizations continue their collaboration under the Travel Safe initiative. The partnership focuses on maintaining passenger safety and supporting vulnerable individuals travelling across the network.
As part of the renewed approach, Amulet will continue to deploy its accredited Safer Travel Officers. These officers work alongside a range of charities to better understand challenges affecting vulnerable passengers and to provide early intervention when required.
A new position, Safer Response Officer, will also be introduced. The role is designed to lead Avanti West Coast’s assault reduction plan, supporting both customers and staff who encounter workplace violence. The initiative includes a programme of safety-awareness events at stations, alongside briefings and training for colleagues and stakeholders.
Avanti West Coast first partnered with Amulet in 2022, recognizing the company’s experience in rail security. Since then, the safeguarding team has moved from a static deployment model to a mobile operation covering stations and trains. The refreshed Travel Safe strategy will be delivered by a 37-strong team, supported by two supervisors and a contract manager, and will incorporate updated equipment, phones and uniforms.
The partnership has already received industry recognition. Earlier this year, Amulet officers Marie Jones and Jenny McArthur were highly commended for the Unsung Hero award at the Railway Children’s Safeguarding Champions event after assisting a vulnerable young person identified as being at potential risk while travelling. The officers also received an internal Amulet award for the same incident.
As part of the ongoing work, Amulet will continue to support Avanti West Coast in planning for major events including football fixtures, concerts and festivals. Safer Travel Officers will be deployed strategically to assist with crowd management. Joint patrols with British Transport Police will continue, as well as collaborative patrols with Network Rail and BTP in areas identified as higher risk through trend analysis.
Natalie Richbell-Beer, Avanti West Coast safeguarding and crime manager, said: “We’ve seen excellent results from our partnership with Amulet over the past three years. Their expertise in safeguarding and commitment to continuous improvement has transformed how we protect passengers across our network, and we’re confident that the Travel Safe initiative will be a positive next step in our safeguarding strategy.”
Kieran Mackie, managing director of Amulet, said: “We are proud to build on our successful partnership with Avanti West Coast. The investment of the Travel Safe team will provide additional support to customers through visible and expert safeguarding. Customer perception of safety is critical at times like this, and the Travel Safe team will provide exactly that.”