Mitie to provide security guarding and intelligence services across South Western Railway network

Mitie has been awarded a new contract with South Western Railway (SWR), worth £6 million, for up to three-years. Mitie will provide security guarding and intelligence services across SWR’s network which stretches across Greater London, Hampshire, Surrey, Dorset, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Devon, and Somerset, transporting 220,000 passengers every day.

In addition to keeping 14 sites, including stations, depots and security control centres, secure, Mitie’s Security Officers will also provide reassurance and wellness checks for passengers onboard SWR’s trains. With SWR running 1,500 journeys each day, these checks will be key to quickly identifying and responding to any unusual behaviour or unattended items.

The contract will also see Mitie bring its intelligence-led approach to security by fully digitising SWR’s security incident reporting processes for the first time, with the introduction of its Merlin 24/7 software. Security Officers will be able to log detailed information on incidents through a hand-held device, streamlining the reporting process. SWR will also have a dedicated dashboard on the platform, providing security teams with real-time intelligence on threat levels across its estate at their fingertips, based on insight and trend analysis from those incident reports.

Taking this one step further, using open-source data gathering, Mitie Analysts based at its Intelligence Hub will provide SWR security teams with updates on potential threats across SWR’s estate, such as large public events, protests and crime increases in the local area. With this insight, the Mitie team will be able to identify hotspots and make intelligence-led decisions about the number of security officers required at different sites, on different days.

Jason Towse, Managing Director, Business Services, Mitie, said:

“We’re pleased to have been awarded this new contract with South Western Railway, building on our experience and expertise in the rail industry. As we head into the busy summer period, we look forward to bringing our intelligence-led approach to security to help create a safe and secure environment for the thousands of passengers travelling with SWR every day”.

Daniel O’Riordan, Head of Safety and Security Assurance for South Western Railway, said:

“At South Western Railway, the safety and security of all of our colleagues and customers is our priority and this is a momentous occasion as we enter into partnership with a new security provider.

“We’re delighted to welcome Mitie to the SWR community and look forward to working with them. We’re sure that their innovative digital and intelligence-led solutions will help us to make our network a safer and more secure place for everyone who uses it.”