The Community of Madrid celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Metro security service

The Community of Madrid celebrates the 40th anniversary of the implementation of the integrated security service in Metro. The Regional Minister of Transport, Mobility and Infrastructure, David Pérez, visited the railway company's Sacedal depot today to see first-hand the work undertaken by the surveillance companies on the underground network.

Although this public service began to be provided in 1979, it was not until 1983 that it was officially implemented, with the presence of security guards and vehicles patrolling the outside to attend to incidents. In that year, Metro had 86 kilometres and 127 stations, demand was close to 28 million trips and some 13,000 security measures were taken.

Since 1983, the system has evolved in terms of both its scope and its service form. The railway company currently has 1,570 guards distributed in stations, trains and premises. Organised individually and in patrols, it also has 30 teams that patrol the area by car to respond to immediate needs.

Last year, more than 2.5 million hours of surveillance were undertaken, with a total of 294 kilometres and 302 stations, and 57,000 incidents, for a demand that exceeded 571 million trips.

Monitoring is controlled, on the one hand, through the Central Security Post, from which any problems are managed in real time and the almost 10,000 cameras spread throughout the network are reviewed. In addition, the Network Security and Heritage service plans all the operations and actions to be undertaken by the guards.

The security guards are a key link in the structure, since, with an eminently preventive and dissuasive nature, they carry out –among other activities– surveillance patrols of the premises and prevent and act against the commission of criminal acts, vandalism or acts of incivility. They also collaborate with Metro staff to ensure compliance with the Passenger Regulations and applicable legislation, attending to special operational needs (such as sporting events or concerts) and providing support for the intervention and control of transport tickets.

This group also works in coordination with the Spanish Security Forces and Corps, especially with the Mobile Brigade of the Spanish National Police, which operates in the different public transport systems.

USERS RATE IT WITH A B

All the surveys undertaken by the railway company reflect a very good evaluation by users in this area. Thus, according to the latest Service Quality Perception Survey, conducted in the fourth quarter of 2022, customers rate it with an average score of 78.3%. Among the specific aspects that stand out are the friendliness of the security guards, 80.7%; safety in the event of accidents, 80%, and general security on the network, in this case 76.6%.

In the case of Metro's annual Network Safety Perception Survey, which is carried out every year, it gave a score of 76.8% in 2022, the second highest in its history.