Tyne and Wear Metro bosses want more staff and upgraded security infrastructure to crack down on violence and anti-social behaviour plaguing passengers, but warn that the network cannot become a “fortress”.
There has been a string of worrying incidents over recent weeks, including a Nexus worker being assaulted at Tynemouth station and two teenagers being attacked on the same night at Tynemouth and Palmersville – shocking events that have led some to call the Metro a “no go” area. Extra security staff have been deployed to help combat large gangs of young people causing trouble around the rail system, with teams stationed in the current problem hotspots of Whitley Bay and Tynemouth every night.
During a Q&A session about safety issues on the Metro on Thursday, Nexus customer services director Huw Lewis said that keeping the 24 new temporary security staff for a year would cost £1.5m and warned it would not be financially feasible to have somebody stationed on every train and platform throughout the day. Mr Lewis told viewers on ChronicleLive’s Facebook page: “But we do want more people on the system and we do want customers to see them, to be able to talk to them, to be able to raise concerns and ask questions.
