South Eastern Trains (now Southeastern Railway) was the first train operating company to be awarded Railway Safety Accredited Company status.

In November 2005, South Eastern Trains, Southeastern’s publicly owned predecessor, launched Railway Enforcement Officers (REOs). Today, their numbers continue to grow, with a target of 60 plus REOs and 15 accredited supervisory and management staff. REOs provide high-visibility uniformed patrols on Southeastern’s 350 trains and 180 stations to help deter and detect crime on the railways. This includes anti-social behaviour, graffiti, criminal damage and fare evasion as well as providing a reassuring presence and information source for passengers.

REOs are trained in the exercise of their citizen’s powers of arrest. They use them whenever necessary and work closely with BTP as part of the wider railways policing family to exchange intelligence and tackle those who indulge in anti-social behaviour or criminal activity. They are trained and empowered to use reasonable force in ejecting troublemakers.
 
REOs also request personal details for the issuing of fixed penalty notices to offenders; confiscate alcohol or smoking materials from young people; and issue penalty notices for disorder to those who trespass on the railways; behave in a manner likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress; or who consume alcohol in a designated public place. To improve liaison with BTP, Southeastern’s REOs are now equipped with Airwave two-way radios. The past year has seen overall crime fall by 16% and approximately 41,000 with the assistance of REOs.