Digital campaign launched to keep young people safe during the summer holidays

A new campaign to help keep young people safe through the summer has been launched by the youth programme of the Crimestoppers charity.
The railway is an incredibly dangerous place and trespassing can result in tragic consequences or life-changing injuries.The railway is an incredibly dangerous place and trespassing can result in tragic consequences or life-changing injuries.
The railway is an incredibly dangerous place and trespassing can result in tragic consequences or life-changing injuries.

Fearless and Network Rail have teamed up to raise awareness of the dangers of trespassing on railways.

Over 2019-2020, there were 735 incidents of rail trespassing in Scotland, costing commuters more than 800 hours of delays and costing Network Rail almost £1.9 million.

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Railway trespassing tends to spike during summer, so this digital campaign aims to give young people factual information about how dangerous it is.

Fearless has set up an online information service where people can anonymously report habitual trespassers.

Lyndsay McDade from Crimestoppers, said “Trespassing on the line can be fatal and it’s vital that young people know the dangers in order to keep themselves and their friends safe this summer.

“We’re urging young people to tell our charity WHO regularly trespasses on the tracks and WHERE. It only takes two minutes to complete our simple anonymous online form here and we guarantee you’ll stay 100 per cent anonymous.

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“We can’t trace IP addresses or any contact details that could identify you. Nobody will ever know the information came from you.

“If you spot someone on the railways tracks – it is an emergency – ALWAYS call 999.”

Mark Henderson of Network Rai,l added: “We continually strive to make our rail network a safe place for all our passengers and local communities, that’s why we’re delighted to be working with fearless.org to raise awareness of the dangers of trespassing on the line and other forms of dangerous behaviour.

“This is our second project in partnership with Fearless this year because we believe it’s not just important to educate young people about crime and staying safe, but to also empower them with knowledge on how to speak up 100 per cent anonymously.”

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 Inspector Gary Brown of the British Transport Police, said: “With schools currently closed during what should be the summer holidays, I urge parents to make sure that they know where their children are going.

“Every year we see tragic consequences or life-changing injuries as a result of people trespassing on the railway or taking risks with their safety. The railway is an incredibly dangerous place and I appeal to young people not to act in a way which will have far-reaching and devastating consequences for both them and their families.

“If you know of anybody who engages in this risk-taking behaviour on the railway network please get in touch with Fearless”.

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