The British Transport Police (BTP) introduced the Railway Safety Accreditation Scheme (RSAS) in 2004 to tackle a pressing problem: low-level crime and antisocial behaviour on trains across the UK. However, after the pandemic, the problem returned with renewed intensity, and train operators identified an alarming rise in antisocial behaviour across their operations.
Officers were encountering increasingly complex situations requiring not just enforcement capabilities, but sophisticated psychological insights and crisis management skills. Officers faced multifaceted situations that the RSAS programme was not developed for, from managing vulnerable individuals to preventing serious incidents, all while maintaining public confidence.
Recognising this critical gap, Amulet collaborated with training consultancy JRC Training in 2022 to update the RSAS training modules, forming RSAS Plus, a comprehensive training programme that combines behavioural understanding with practical law enforcement skills.
Amulet’s RSAS Plus now serves five train operating companies (TOCs), and in the past 12 months, 116 delegates have completed training.
Travel Safe Officers (TSOs) and Counter Terrorism Officers (CTOs) are key to the programme’s enforcement. Accredited by RSAS and managed by the BTP, TSOs are trained to tackle low-level crime and antisocial behaviour, identify and support vulnerable persons, improve intelligence and liaise with TOCs and the BTP.
Revolutionising existing structures
RSAS Plus represents a complete evolution in security training methodology. It was developed by Jim Ferran, a retired police officer, educational practitioner Karen Ferran, and forensic psychologist Dr Keri Nixon.
Together, they created a framework that incorporates multiple psychological theories to train officers how humans react to internal and external triggers, consciously and subconsciously.
The programme features 19 modules with specific learning objectives and interchangeable core content. Topics range from problem-solving and application of powers, to managing a person in crisis. All modules are enhanced to meet the national operations standards framework of Skills for Justice, ensuring delegates meet rigorous performance criteria.
Two critical decision-making modules ensure delegates have both traditional legal foundations and developed emotional intelligence skills for ethical, empathetic work with offenders and vulnerable persons. RSAS Plus also includes dedicated modules on unconscious bias, de-escalation, and conflict management.
A vulnerability module was developed based on Cambridge University research that Amulet participated in. The study contributed to a 66% reduction in crimes at selected locations. Additionally, a harassment awareness module incorporates the ‘4 Rs’ of safeguarding: Recognition, Reaction, Responding, and Reporting.
RSAS Plus sets new benchmarks in security training, through post-course assignments and accompanied patrols. Delegates undergo regular assessment against set competencies, in line with the recognised policing model. Officers also receive continuous refresher training in first aid, use of force, railway byelaws, and counter terrorism protocols.
The programme utilises KUSAB training methodology with formal assessment and mentoring support, including accompanied patrol periods with experienced colleagues for new staff.
Award-winning impact
The success of RSAS Plus is demonstrated through dramatic improvements in officer performance and incident management across participating train operating companies. This success led to RSAS Plus winning Best Security Training Initiative at the 2025 Security and Fire Excellence Awards. Amulet was praised for the scheme’s measurable results and expansion, which included one TOC’s extraordinary increases in professional standards:
- Following regular refresher training, byelaw offence reports increased from 1,454 in 2022 to 8,436 in 2025, demonstrating significantly improved officer understanding and reporting diligence.
- Procurement Policy Notes rose from 78 in 2022 to 952 in 2025, showing enhanced proactive revenue protection.
- Body-worn camera activations increased from 2,210 in 2022 to 9,980 in 2025, reflecting improved evidence gathering capabilities.
- Community support reports increased from 124 in 2022 to 1,027 in 2025, with 339 intelligence submissions to the police – a category not previously tracked.
- Safeguarding incidents reports increased from 73 in 2022 to 95 in 2025.
In 2025, Amulet collaborated with this TOC to launch a Centre for Excellence in Bolton, a training facility developed for the RSAS programme.
It also facilitates training with BTP and charity partners like Railway Children and the Samaritans, who host sessions on supporting vulnerable people on railways.
Under RSAS Plus, TOC incident response, reporting, and safeguarding have greatly improved, embedding accredited officers within wider policing networks and enhancing training partnerships with charity providers to improve recognition with vulnerable individuals.
Setting industry standards
RSAS Plus’s recognition at the Security and Fire Excellence Awards as an industry-leading course demonstrates how innovative training methodology can transform security services from reactive enforcement to proactive community support.
The programme’s success in developing officers who progress to high-profile roles in the prison service and local police forces further validates its comprehensive approach to professional development.
By integrating psychological insights with practical skills, the programme has created a new standard for railway security training that prioritises both professional expertise and human empathy.
The Community Safety Manager at one of our train operating clients said:
I oversee Travel Safe Officers and Counter Terrorism Officers across our network. I am immensely proud of the work, commitment and difference these officers make. They keep our customers and our staff safe, and their presence contributes to overall morale.
Over the past 12 months, the railway has unfortunately seen a rise in vulnerable persons coming to the railway. TSOs have saved numerous lives this year, providing life-changing and lifesaving interventions, including in first aid equipment, crowd support and reassuring staff. The gravity of this work is reflected in the training the team partake in, so they have the correct tools and confidence to assist those in need.
