#stucwomen18 STUC Women’s Conference backed a call from RMT to campaign to keep the British Transport Police separate from Police Scotland; to keep guards on trains and staff at stations and for public ownership of the railways.
Supporting, UNISON’s Kate Ramsden said that living in Aberdeenshire she often travels on trains.
“As a woman travelling alone you feel very vulnerable so it is incredibly important to know there is a guard on the train and staff at stations.”
She warned that incidents of sexual assault and anti-social behaviour on the trains has more than doubled in 5 years, the majority of which are sexual assaults on females aged 13 and above.
She slammed the Scottish Government’s “ill-conceived” plans to merge BTP and Police Scotland as another “Polishambles” and called for it to be not just reviewed but scrapped, saying that “their unique role, knowledge and skills are crucial to keep women safe on trains and at stations.
“But of course we know that the best way to ensure railways prioritise the safety of women and other vulnerable passengers is to take them back into public ownership,” added Kate, urging the Women’s Committee and the wider STUC to campaign vigorously to this end.
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