Appeal for young Scots not to put their lives on the line

Fearless, the youth programme of Crimestoppers, has launched a new campaign to keep young people safe this summer.
Rail danger...mucking about on the railway tracks may seem like harmless fun but it can have major consequences.Rail danger...mucking about on the railway tracks may seem like harmless fun but it can have major consequences.
Rail danger...mucking about on the railway tracks may seem like harmless fun but it can have major consequences.

To coincide with the start of the school summer holidays, the charity is working in partnership with Network Rail to raise awareness among young people of the dangers of trespassing on the railways.

In 2019/20, there were 735 incidences of trespassing in Scotland – causing over 50,025 minutes of disruption to commuters and costing Network Rail more than £1,868,293.

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Often incidences of trespassing spike during the summer months, so the timely Scotland-wide digital campaign aims to give young people clear facts on the dangers to prevent them from being badly hurt or killed.

The charity is asking young people to speak up if they know who regularly trespasses by giving information online, 100 per cent anonymously via fearless.org.

Lyndsay McDade, senior youth projects officer for 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 at fearless.org and we guarantee you’ll stay 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, senior community engagement manager at Network Rail, said: “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 but to also empower them with knowledge on how to speak up.”

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Inspector Gary Brown, of British Transport Police, said: “Every year we see tragic consequences or life-changing injuries as a result of people trespassing on the railway.

“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.”