Southampton City Council addressed safeguarding challenges at a national conference.

The National Safeguarding Conference 2025, hosted by South Western Railway (SWR) and Southeastern Railway, took place at Birmingham Conference and Events Centre on May 29.

The event brought together senior police, youth outreach leaders, and publicly-owned rail operators to discuss safeguarding issues across Britain’s rail network.

Key topics included violence against women and girls, youth safety, mental health, and the use of technology in public safety.

SWR Rail Community OfficersSWR Rail Community Officers (Image: Steve Harris) Southampton City Council addressed safeguarding and missing persons, sharing insights from their frontline experiences.

The council joined other key speakers such as Thames Valley Police, Mitie, WalkSafe, British Transport Police, and Medway Youth Outreach, among others.

The conference was supported by the Department for Transport and aimed to foster collaboration and share best practices in ensuring the railway remains a safe and welcoming environment for all.

Stuart Meek, Chief Operating Officer at South Western Railway, emphasised the importance of collective responsibility in safeguarding the railways.

He said: "It isn’t the responsibility of just one person, one team, or one business — it’s something our industry must deliver together.

"By learning from each other, we’ll build on the progress we have made to ensure everyone feels safe on the railway."

Steve White, Managing Director at Southeastern, echoed these sentiments, stating: "This conference is an opportunity to share knowledge and best practice, learn from each other and ensure that together, we are doing everything we can to protect our passengers and colleagues."

Both SWR and Southeastern, as publicly owned operators, are committed to working more closely to share their expertise on railway safety.

SWR has consistently achieved 100 per cent for its Safeguarding on Rail Scheme accreditation, awarded by British Transport Police (BTP).

The operator's recent safeguarding initiatives include the introduction of 89 safeguarding champions, a dedicated safety and security reporting app, and the launch of 'safe spaces' at key locations like Waterloo and Richmond.

Southeastern is also actively building a safer railway as part of its five-year Joint Safeguarding Strategy, developed with BTP and Network Rail.

This includes the UK’s first dedicated rail safeguarding team and a co-produced Domestic Abuse Policy.