SAFETY is being taken seriously by Metrorail, the national commuter rail company, which has joined forces with the South African Police Service (SAPS) to keep passengers secure.

In the first phase of the operation, 156 SAPS officers have been deployed at Metrorail stations in East London and Port Elizabeth to undertake railway policing on a 24-hour basis. The stations are East London, Mount Ruth and Swartkops, with 52 policemen at each station.

In the second phase of deployment, the police presence at each station will be increased to 70.

The officers have been trained to perform their functions effectively within the railway environment to ensure the safety of commuters, according to Mamnkeli Ngam, the Metrorail Eastern Cape Region marketing and communications manager. They will stop and search individuals and conduct special operations as the need arises. Other focus areas are dealing with priority crimes like violence against women and children, corruption and organised crime.

Metrorail "understands the meaningful role played by rail in the South African public transport system, hence it has a National Rail Plan in place". It is committed to ensuring that there is safe, secure, reliable and sustainable rail transport that is affordable and economically viable.

The organisation is putting in place a number of initiatives to restore public confidence in the system. "Metrorail will continue to deal with issues of vandalism, crime and fare evasion, which have a negative effect on the operations of the business," Ngam says.

In addition, train commuters in particular and the public in general have been urged to come forward with any information that will improve their safety on trains.

For more information, please contact Metrorail's Mamnkeli Ngam on 043 700 2039, or fax 043 700 2038.