young people s and authorised officers survey report...

Campaign Respect � Young people and authorised officer survey (October 2009) 1

Young People�s and Authorised Officers Survey

Report - October 2009

About Youthlaw, Campaign Respect and the survey

Youthlaw is a not-for-profit, state-wide community legal centre for young people, which specialises

in providing free and confidential legal advice to young people up to the age of 25. Through its

casework it has indentified young people�s widespread dissatisfaction with authorised officers,

regular experiences of young people being treated disrespectfully, humiliated and the escalation of

some of these interactions into verbal and sometimes physical abuse. Youthlaw has also observed

through consultations that young people do not tend to make official complaints when they feel

unfairly treated.

Campaign Respect is an advocacy project and grassroots campaign being sponsored and

supported by Youthlaw. Campaign Respect is a youth driven research project, which seeks to

address a perceived prejudice against or targeting of young people by of Victorian Public Transport

authorised officers. Campaign Respect aims to investigate young people�s experience of

authorised officers via face to face surveys and digital technology. It aims to create opportunities

for young people to share their experiences of their interactions with AO's through written,

photographic and video (via phone or digital camera) footage submissions. Their stories and

contributions will provide the evidence base for the campaign that will then be used to publicise

these experiences and lobby the government departments and public transport operators to

address inappropriate behaviour of authorised officers.

The survey

The survey (see Appendix 1) aims to test whether or not authorised officers treat young people

they approach on public transport �in a respectful, non-threatening and courteous manner� (as

required by Department of Transport�s (DOT) Code of Conduct for Authorised Officers, p10).

The survey was extensively vetted, pilot tested, and amended to incorporate feedback from

interested Victorian government departments and bodies such as the PTO and DOT.

Baseline data about young people�s experience of authorised officers was collected via a survey

administered face to face over two days � Thursday 1 and Saturday 10 October 2009 � with a

sample of 352 young people aged between 15 and 25 years, participating in the study. The survey

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was administered at Federation Square and Flinders Street station, the State Library of Victoria,

outside Flagstaff station, outside Southern Cross station, outside Melbourne Central station, and

the Bourke Street Mall. Survey participants were recruited at random by approaching young people

at the various locations, and then seeking and gaining their consent to participate.

Major survey findings

48% of the participants were aged less than 18 years

27.5% of participants were aged between 18 and 20 years

24.5 % were between 21 and 25 years

the most commonly occurring age group was 17 years of age

51% of participants were female and 48.6 % were male

survey participants were from a fairly wide spread of Melbourne metropolitan areas,

as well as some from regional areas.

71 % of young people reported using public transport daily

19.5% use public transport once or twice per week

many young people view the role of authorised officer�s as not solely confined to

reporting public transport offences (70%), but also entails customer service (43.4%)

and ensuring passenger safety (53.4%)

81% have been approached before by authorised officers

25% of young people received a warning and 27% received a fine

44% never felt threatened and 35% felt they were always treated with respect

37% had felt threatened at sometime and some 39% felt they had been treated

disrespectfully.

31% participants reported experiencing aggressive body language, 34% not being

listened to, 38% being talked over, and 39% experienced intimidation.

only 8 per cent of participants ever made complaints

60% of participants indicated they did not have a reason to complain, despite

significant numbers of these young people reporting being subject to threatening or

disrespectful treatment.

Out of those who did raise a complaint, 60% reported feeling dissatisfied with the

response they received.

20% participants were not aware of the complaint-making processes


Major Recommendations

1. DOT and the new public transport operators further promote the 3 elements of the authorised

officer�s role: being (1) customer service, (2) ensure passenger safety and (3) reporting

infringements and non-compliance, via training, support and resources.

2. Authorised officers encouraged to exercise their discretionary power by way of warnings rather

than punitive fines.

3. Provide additional training and support provided to authorised officers to help them adhere to

the Code of Conduct and treat young people in a respectful, non-threatening and courteous

manner. In this regard members of Campaign Respect would welcome the opportunities for

regular and open dialogue between the young people, public transport operators & authorised

officers.

4. Raise awareness among young people regarding grounds for complaints and the avenues

through which they can make complaints.

5. Ongoing monitoring of the conduct and performance of authorised officers in relation to young

people. Campaign Respect will run an online survey over the next 4 months and produce and

distribute a research report to relevant stakeholders. PTO and public transport operators may

also monitor feedback and complaints from young people.


Survey findings in details

1. About Survey Participants

The aim when administering the survey was to engage a large number of young people and record

their stories regarding their interactions with authorised officers. Accordingly the sample tried to

include as many young people between 15 and 25 years as were presenting and giving their

consent at the various locations on the two dates the surveys were administered.

Figure One: Age of Participants

Figure One displays the breakdown of participants� age groups in percentages. Participants were

selected randomly at the various locations. Most of the participants were aged less than 18 years,

which accounted for 48 per cent of the total number of young people recruited to participate in the

survey. The percentage of young people aged between 18 and 20 years was 27.5, and 24.5 per

cent were between 21 and 25 years. The most commonly occurring age group out of the 352

participants was 17 years of age.

Figure Two: Gender of Participants

As shown in Figure Two the sample contains a balanced representation of genders. 51 per cent of

participants randomly selected were female and 48.6 per cent were male. The survey sample also

contains participants from a fairly wide spread of Melbourne metropolitan areas, as well as some

from regional areas shown in Figure Three. Survey participants mostly live in the Northern and


Eastern suburbs of Melbourne, with significant percentages coming from the Southern and

Western suburbs of Melbourne. 29 per cent and 24 per cent of participants in the sample live in the

Northern and Eastern suburbs, 14 per cent live in the Southern suburbs, another 14 per cent live in

the Western suburbs, and 11.5 per cent live in regional areas of Victoria.

Figure Three: Where Participants Live

The survey participants are mostly heavy users of public transport. 71 per cent of young people

reported using public transport daily, 19.5 per cent uses public transport once or twice per week,

and only 9.5 per cent of participants reported using public transport less than once or twice per

week. Participants most commonly selected the metro train as their sole mode of public transport

use (44.1%), and many participants reported using a combination of modes shown in Figure Four.

Figure Four: Frequency of Public Transport Use

At this stage and for the purposes of this study, all participants will be grouped together and not

separated into different age, gender of geographical groups. Their cumulative responses to the

questions contained in the survey will be generally described and not cross tabulated.

Roles of Authorised Officers & Contact with Young People

The role of the authorised officer is not restricted to checking tickets and reporting non-compliance

of the Transport Act 1983, and they are also expected to perform other types of duties. According

to Metlink � the partnership of Melbourne�s train, tram and bus operators �authorised officers


should also: provide good customer service to all public transport customers; assist the travelling

public with all aspects of public transport services which includes helping to ensure passenger

safety; and maintain the highest degree of integrity and professionalism at all times. Survey

participants were asked to indicate what they thought the roles of the authorised officer are using

three descriptive responses, namely:

1. �Ensure passenger safety�,

2. �Customer service� and

3. �Report public transport infringements�.

This question allowed for multiple responses, and participants had the option of selecting as many

responses as they felt necessary to describe the role. Figure Five shows the response count for

the three response options. Participants mostly think the role of authorised officers is to report

public transport infringements, with almost 70 per cent of participants indicating this response.

Quite significant percentages also indicated that they think the authorised officers role is to ensure

passenger safety (53.4%) and provide customer service (43.4%). These responses suggest that

many young people are quite aware of the varying roles of authorised officers.

Figure Five: The Role of Authorised Officer

Most of the survey participants have had personal interactions with authorised officers, with 81 per

cent reporting that they had been approached in the past. Table One shows that the most

commonly occurring reason for being approached was for ticket inspections, which accounted for

over 63 per cent. Much smaller percentages of participants responded being approached for other

reasons, such as, having their feet on seats, or for consuming alcohol.

Reason Per cent of Participants (n = 265)

To Ask Directions .3%

Don't Know .9%

Feet on Seat 4.8%

Ticket Inspection 63.5%

Consuming Alcohol 1.1%

Ticket Inspection & Feet on Seat 4.8%

Table One: Reason Why Approached


Participants also were asked whether they had ever been approached in relation to a �reportable�

public transport infringement and what the result had been i.e. a fine, warning or neither. Although

a significant number of participants (38.6%) indicated they had not been approached for a

reportable infringement, most participants responded that they had been. Nearly as many received

a warning as were fined. 25 per cent of survey participants responded that they received a

warning, and 27 per cent responded that they had received a fine. The significant percentage of

participants who responded receiving a warning after being approached for �reportable

infringements� suggests that many authorised officers are using their discretion rather than issuing

fines in a responsible manner and this practice is encouraged.

The Authorised Officer Code of Conduct

Authorised officers must �treat young people in a respectful, non-threatening and courteous

manner� (Code of Conduct DOT 2009: 10). The survey participants were asked to indicate their

degree of agreement with the two statements �I have never felt threatened by authorised officers�

and �Authorised officers always treat me in a respectful & courteous manner�, using a five point

Likert scale to describe their responses.

Figure Six: Frequency of Likert Scale Responses

Figure Six shows the frequency of the total participant responses. 44 percent of young people

questioned feel they are never threatened by authorised officers. 27 per cent of participants agreed

with the statement �I have never felt threatened by authorised officers� and 17 percent of

participants who strongly agreed. However a significant number have felt threatened at times. 15

per cent of participants strongly disagreed and 22 per cent disagreed with the above statement.

The significant number of participants who have felt threatened by authorised officers is supported

by some responses shown in Figure Seven (below), which describe participants reporting feeling

threatening behaviour in the areas of �aggressive or rude language�, �aggressive body language� or

being �physically handled�.


Figure Six also shows that majority of young people questioned do not always feel they are treated

in a respectful and courteous manner by authorised officers, although significant numbers of young

people feel they are. 11 per cent of participants strongly disagreed and 28 per cent of participants

disagreed with the statement �Authorised officers always treat me in a respectful & courteous

manner�. Some 25 percent of participants agreed and 10 per cent who strongly agreed. The

significant number of participants who have not felt respected is supported in the responses shown

in Figure Seven (below), which describe participants encountering disrespectful behaviour in the

areas of �not being listened to�, being �talked over�, and �intimidation�. The recently released Public

Transport Ombudsman�s annual report also discusses the issue of authorised officers using

intimidation when dealing with young people. This report describes intimidation as being the most

common issue raised in complaints by young people (53%) regarding authorised officer�s conduct.

The participant�s responses regarding both statements shown in Figure Six suggest that, although

many authorised officers are treating young people according to their code of conduct, there is

room for improvement, particularly more consistency treating young people in a respectful and

courteous manner.

Figure Seven outlines the types of behaviour young people may experience from authorised

officers. Participants had the choice to select if they had ever experienced any one of the

behaviours shown in Figure Seven or the choice to select if they had never experienced any of

them. 31 percent responded that they had never experienced any of these types of behaviour.

However 23 per cent of participants have reported that they have experienced aggressive or rude

language from authorised officers. More than 30 per cent of participants reported experiencing

aggressive body language (31%), not being listened to (34%), being talked over (38%), and

intimidation (39%). 39 per cent of participants also reported witnessing other young people being

treated with the types of behaviour shown in Figure Seven.

Figure Seven: Authorised Officers Behaviour


Complaints About Authorised Officers

Only 8 per cent of participants indicated that they had made a complained about treatment by

authorised officers. Participants who have complained were also asked whom they complained to.

39 percent complained to the public transport operators � Connex or Yarra Trams � 22 per cent

complained to Metlink, 22 percent complained to the public transport operator, and 11 percent

reported complaining to the Police. 60 per cent of participants who complained reported

dissatisfaction with the response to their complaint.

Out of the participants who had not made a complaint, over 20 per cent of participants were not

aware of the complaint processes available. 60 per cent responded that they had no reason to

complain. Viewed together with the 31 per cent of respondents indicating they have never

experienced any of the types of behaviours � shown in Figure Seven � this suggests that many

participants did not assess behaviours they experienced, such as not being listened to, talked over,

or intimidation, as not amounting to grounds for a complaint.

13 per cent of participants who had not made a complaint responded with other reasons, such as,

�couldn�t be bothered� or �no point�.

Participants were asked who they would make future complaints about treatment by authorised

officer to if the need ever arose � responses shown in Figure Eight. The most common response

was parents (38%). This is also supported in the Public Transport Ombudsman�s annual report,

which describes how more complaints are made by third parties � such as parents or observers

� on behalf of young people compared to young people complaining themselves (PTO 2009: 15).

27 percent of participants responded that they would tell friends, 35 per cent responded that they

would complain to public transport operators, 31 per cent responded Metlink, and 24 per cent

reported they would complain to the Department of Transport. Low percentages responded that

they would take future complaints to the Public Transport Ombudsman (15%) and to lawyers (6%).

Figure Eight: Making Complaints in the Future


Conclusion and recommendations

1. Role of authorised officer

The results of the survey indicated that many young people view the role of authorised officer�s as

including customer service (43.4%) and ensuring passenger safety (53.4%), as well as reporting

infringements and non-compliance of the Transport Act 1983.

Recommendation

DOT and the new public transport operators further promote the 3 elements of the

authorised officer�s role: being (1) customer service, (2) ensure passenger safety and (3)

reporting infringements and non-compliance, via training, support and resources.

2. Use of discretionary powers

Of those approached by authorised officers for a reportable incident, 25% of young people received a warning, and 27% received a fine.

Recommendation

Authorised officers be congratulated and encouraged to exercise their discretionary power

by way of warnings rather than punitive fines.

3. Conduct by authorised officers

The results do show some positive indicators that authorised officers are adhering to their code,

but there is definitely room for improvement and a need for strategies to help reduce future

confrontation between young people and officers. Pleasingly some young people (44%) never felt

threatened and always treated with respect (35%) by authorised officers. However 37% reported

they had felt threatened at sometime and 39% felt they had been treated disrespectfully. Particular

behaviours of concern included young people being �talked over� (38%), �not being listened to�

(34%), and �intimidation� (39%). These findings are also supported in the Public Transport

Ombudsman�s literature (PTO 2009).

Recommendations

Provide additional training and support to authorised officers to help them adhere to the

Code of Conduct and treat young people in a respectful, non-threatening and courteous

manner. In this regard members of Campaign Respect would welcome the opportunities

for regular and open dialogue between the young people, public transport operators &

authorised officers.


4. Young people and the complaint making process

It is troubling that most young people don�t complain about treatment by authorised officers. This

was demonstrated by only 8 per cent of participants making complaints, with 60% believe that they

had no reason to complain despite significant numbers of these young people reporting being

subject to threatening or disrespectful treatment.

Also troubling is the significant number of participants (20%) who were not aware of the complaint-

making processes available to them.

As shown in the results most young people (38%) would initially take any future complaints they

might have to parents, and only a small number would utilise other avenues such as the Public

Transport Ombudsman or lawyers.

Recommendation

PTO, public transport operators, and non government organisations should develop

strategies to raise awareness among young people regarding grounds for complaints and

the avenues through which they can make complaints.

Monitor future conduct of authorised officers

Results of this survey provide a base-line of data evidencing young people�s contact with and

experience of authorised officers. To measure if interactions between young people and

authorised officers are improving it will be important to seek further feedback from young people.

Recommendation

Ongoing monitoring of the conduct and performance of authorised officers in relation to

young people. Campaign Respect will run an online survey over the next 4 months and

produce and distribute a research report. PTO and public transport operators may also

monitor feedback and complaints.

If you have queries about this research please contact Tiffany Overall of Youthlaw on 03 9611

2422, [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Appendix 1 Survey Plain Language Statement Youthlaw and RMIT are investigating the interactions between young people and public transport authorised officers on trains, trams and buses. The information we collect from you today will be made publicly available, BUT, your personal details are not required and you will remain totally anonymous. So don�t worry, say what you like, and be as honest as you can. The survey will take you about 5-10 minutes. It would be great if you answer all of the questions, or as many questions as you can, but you don�t have to answer anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. Thanks so much for taking the time to participate in this questionnaire. Please use in boxes Section 1 � Tell us about yourself 1. Your Age* 1515 1616 1717 1818 1919 2020 2121 2222 2323 2424 2525 2. Your gender 11111111111111111111111111111 3. Which suburb or town do you live in? 11111111111111111111111111111 4. Which country were you born in? 11111111111111111111111111111 5. Which country were your parents born in? 11111111111111111111111111111

Section 2 �Your Public Transport Use & Interactions With Authorised Officers 6. How often do you use public transport? Daily 15 Once or Twice per week 16 Less often 17 7. Which mode of public transport do you use most often? Train (City & Suburban) 16 Train (Regional & Country) 16 Tram 16 Bus 16 Authorised officers are present on public transport. You may have seen them on the trams or at the train stations. We are interested in hearing about your interactions with authorised officers or other young people's interactions that you may have witnessed. 8. What do you think is the role(s) of authorised officer? (Please select as many as necessary) Ensure passenger safety 16 Customer service 16 Report public transport infringements 16 Other 1sssssssssssssssssssssss6 9. Have you ever been approached by an authorised officer? Yes 16 No 16

If 'Yes', what was the reason you were approached? 1sssssssssssss111111111ssssssssss6

Section 2 �Your Public Transport Use & Interactions With Authorised Officers (cont.) 10. Please rate the following? a) You have never felt threatened by authorised officers: Strongly disagree 16 Disagree 16 Neither agree nor disagree 16 Agree 16 Strongly agree 16 b) Authorised officers always treat me in a respectful & courteous manner:


Strongly disagree 16 Disagree 16 Neither agree nor disagree 16 Agree 16 Strongly agree 16 11. Have you been fined or warned by an authorised officer in relation to a public transport offence? 16 Fine

16 Warning

16 Never committed an offence 12. If you have been reported and fined, did the authorised officer(s): a) Introduce themselves & produce ID? Yes 16 No 16 b) Explain the offence(s) for which they reported to you? Yes 16 No 16 c) Conduct themselves in a professional manner? Yes 16 No 16 d) Advise you that you may receive an infringement notice in the mail? Yes 16 No 16 13. Have you ever personally experienced any of the following behaviour by an authorised officer(s)? (Please select as many as necessary) a) Aggressive or rude language 16

b) Aggressive body language 16

c) Physically handled (grabbed, pushed or shoved) 16

d) Shown racial or cultural insensitivity 16

e) Not Listened Too 16

f) Talked over 16

g) Intimidation 16

h) I have never experienced any of these behaviours by authorised officers 16 Other (please describe) 1iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisssssssssssss111111111ssssssssss6 14. If you were treated in any of the ways described in question 13, please tell us what happened and how you felt about the experience? (Only if you feel comfortable to say): 15. Have you ever witnessed a young person being treated in any of the ways described in question 13? Yes 16 No 16 Please tell us what you witnessed? (Also when you witnessed it, if you can remember): 16. Have you ever officially complained about conduct of an authorised officer(s)? Yes 16 (skip to Section 3A ignore 3B) No 16 (skip to Section 3B ignore 3A)

Section 3A � Have Complained Before 17. If you have officially complained before, who did you complain to and how did you make the complaint? (e.g. Complained to the transport service-provider via telephone, complained to Metlink via written letter or email. Please select as many as necessary) 16 Public Transport Operator (Connex/Yarra Trams) 16 Sent an email 16 Public Transport Ombudsman 16 Posted in a written letter 16 Metlink 16 Telephone 16 Police 16 Face-to-Face/In person


18. Did you feel satisfied with the response to your complaint? Yes 16 No 16 Comments: *Now go to Section 3C Section 3B � Never Complained Before 19. If you have never complained before, why not? (Please select as many as necessary) 16 Never had any reason to

16 I'm not aware of the complaint making process

16 I don't think any one would believe me

16 I think my complaint would get back to the Officer involved Other (please describe) 1iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisssssssssssss111111111ssssssssss6 *Now go to Section 3C Section 3C � If you need to make a complaint 20. If in the future you needed to make a complaint about treatment by authorised officers, who would you go to? (Please select as many as necessary) 16 Parents 16 Metlink 16 Friends 16 Teachers 16 Public Transport Operators (Connex/Yarra Trams) 16 Lawyer 16 Public Transport Ombudsman 16 Department of Transport Someone else? 1iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisssssssssssss111111111ssssssssss

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