More and more of our contracts bring us into direct contact with members of the public. Guided by our public service ethos, we go the extra mile to treat them with absolute respect at all times. They may be rare, but there are times when our respect is not reciprocated. Whenever physical or verbal threats arise, we act immediately to safeguard our people's well-being and safety, as recent developments in east London demonstrate.

“Matters came to a head when a couple of our employees were mugged at work,” comments Beckton-based Kevin O'Connor, who manages Serco's Traffic Management Systems (TMS) contract with Transport for London in the UK. “Other people began expressing their concerns about the increasing number of threats they were facing.”

Kevin responded to his team's concerns by organising a series of training courses in association with the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, which specialises in raising people's awareness of their own safety. Sessions focused on how to recognise threats, prevent difficult situations arising and avoid confrontation.

According to Bobby Wallace, who benefited from the training: “Verbal abuse has become an everyday hazard since I started as a Traffic Signal Technician ten years ago. Physical assaults are also on the increase. With so much traffic on London's roads, drivers are under more pressure and their tolerance levels are dropping. When traffic lights fail, they often take out their frustration on us – despite the fact that we are the ones fixing the problem. The course certainly made me feel more confident. Now I can recognise situations that are likely to turn ugly and take steps to avoid confrontation.”

Feedback from other participants has been equally positive. The course is now scheduled for a national roll-out across the UK, beginning with TMS staff in Manchester.