Black dimond Security

[Stuart-h]

Any one got any ideas on what sort of security Black dimond security are providing? I’ve often seen them at Bletchley and Rugby.

 

[Darandio]

They have a contract for trackside patrolling and suicide prevention at a number of stations.

 

[Stuart-h]

The suicide prevention is a good thing. Mind you if there track side they’ll need a coss and a pts.

 

[DarloRich]

They have a contract for trackside patrolling and suicide prevention at a number of stations.

The suicide prevention is a good thing. Mind you if there track side they’ll need a coss and a pts.

they don't do trackside patrolling at Blethcley. They are limited to providing a couple of very bored looking visual suicide prevention people. They also cover a couple of other WCML south sites.

Also has the contract not changed from Black diamond to someone else?

 

[BucksBones]

they don't do trackside patrolling at Blethcley. They are limited to providing a couple of very bored looking visual suicide prevention people. They also cover a couple of other WCML south sites.

Also has the contract not changed from Black diamond to someone else?

I think it has, yes; can’t remember the name of the company now though. (The Black Diamond bloke at Cheddington just used to sit in his car all day!)

 

[Stuart-h]

I saw a couple of lads at rugby on the way back to Northampton. I was on the train at the time.

 

[xydancer]

The last couple of times I've seen a security guy at Rugby he's been sat in the corner of the small shelter at the north end of platform 5 looking at his phone and seemingly very bored. The guys there in the late evening do seem much more aware of what is going on, though.

 

[DarloRich]

I think it has, yes; can’t remember the name of the company now though. (The Black Diamond bloke at Cheddington just used to sit in his car all day!)

The last couple of times I've seen a security guy at Rugby he's been sat in the corner of the small shelter at the north end of platform 5 looking at his phone and seemingly very bored. The guys there in the late evening do seem much more aware of what is going on, though.

I suspect they aren't paid very much, have poor management and low motivation. It must be a dull job. Also, and without wishing to come over all gammony, I wonder about some of the language skills. The couple of guys I have spoken to clearly had English as a second language.

 

[BucksBones]

I suspect they aren't paid very much, have poor management and low motivation. It must be a dull job. Also, and without wishing to come over all gammony, I wonder about some of the language skills. The couple of guys I have spoken to clearly had English as a second language.

Well I suppose the idea is that rather than being a true customer-facing role, they are there simply as a human presence on the platform which may make someone in a desperate state think twice. In order for that to be effective, they clearly ought to actually be on the platform but, as you say, it’s difficult to imagine a less interesting job - and Cheddington in particular is a pretty windswept place to stand all day!

 

[tsr]

One of the Cheddington guards actually prevented a suicide in quite dramatic circumstances not long ago, and this has happened elsewhere on other occasions as well, so it’s far from a useless scheme. The staff are also monitored more closely than they used to be, largely by Network Rail MOMs, and I’ve found them to be more visible as a result. Successful suicide interventions in general (across the national network) are on the increase, too.

There are different agencies as well. All the Watford DC stations appear to have somebody, even where they don’t have WCML Fast/Slow platforms, but these seem to be from a different contractor. The Wembley Central staff do have the WCML to deal with and they are usually particularly good, in my experience. I believe they’re meant to check that nobody is loitering in an untoward manner after each train has departed, which is broadly what happens, but they also help out with luggage and passenger enquiries and so on.

 

[SilentGrade]

I suspect they aren't paid very much, have poor management and low motivation. It must be a dull job. Also, and without wishing to come over all gammony, I wonder about some of the language skills. The couple of guys I have spoken to clearly had English as a second language.

The vital patrollers on LNE actually seem to do a great job, especially when they have to support the MOMs. Sounds more like issues locally rather than with the contractors in general

 

[MalaiseForever]

I was chatting to one of these staff members at MKC this afternoon, think he was employed by Serco but was performing a suicide prevention role on platform 6.

 

[TwinTurbostar]

There seems to be someone at Dudley Port most of the time I'm there, which makes sense since it's a fairly thin island platform with high speed trains passing by most of the time.

 

[causton]

The company used to be Black Diamond on the LNR WCML stations but most (Kings Langley and north?) are now Servo (not to be consfused with Serco!) - with SES at stations further south and Black Diamond still at Rugby and more.

As said above, some are better than others and there is some resentment that 'true railway staff' don't have these jobs but they are getting results and ones at Leighton Buzzard and Cheddington in particular have been commended!

 

[horizonflame]

They are at Coventry most afternoons when I head home after 4pm. They position themselves on the platform edge on P1 and P3. The platform staff still do the shouting about keeping behind the yellow line whilst the security guards watch up and down the platform to look for the tell-tale behaviours I guess.

 

[BucksBones]

One of the Cheddington guards actually prevented a suicide in quite dramatic circumstances not long ago, and this has happened elsewhere on other occasions as well, so it’s far from a useless scheme. The staff are also monitored more closely than they used to be, largely by Network Rail MOMs, and I’ve found them to be more visible as a result. Successful suicide interventions in general (across the national network) are on the increase, too.

That’s great, they are certainly more visible than they were. I’m very pleased to hear the positive effect the scheme is having.