What follows is the transcript of part of a Radio 4 Today programme broadcast by the BBC a few years from now...

John Humphreys: As, you will have heard on the news, CrozierRail, the railway company, has slashed crime on its network by some 95%. I am joined by Ed Henchoz, Managing Director of CrozierRail.

Humphreys: So, Mr Henchoz, how did you do it?

Henchoz: We started with one basic principle: Serious crime is a consequence of minor crime and minor crime is the consequence of, for want of a better term, bad manners. Cut out the bad manners and you cut out the crime.

Humphreys: So, how did that work out?

Henchoz: It started at the station entrance. From the beginning we made it clear that we would not accept on to our network anyone whose appearance or behaviour was likely to cause distress to our passengers. Although we allowed our bouncers...

Humphreys: Bouncers?

Henchoz: Yes, we felt the analogy was that of a night club. Cut out the jerks and the ordinary, decent passenger can enjoy a trouble-free journey. We allowed them some discretion in this but basically we encouraged them to turn away anyone who was drunk or rowdy, anyone wearing tracksuit bottoms or of aggressive appearance and large all-male groups.

Humphreys: Turning people away? Didn't you lose money and didn't employing those bouncers push up your costs?

Henchoz: Actually, it didn't do that much to revenue at all as many of these people weren't buying tickets in the first place. And, as we saw an improvement in on-train safety and the general atmosphere, we found that more ordinary, decent passengers (especially women) were choosing to travel with us; especially late at night. I won't deny the costs were high and we did put up fares to reflect this. We also had to close some stations but most of these were a burden anyway, so weren't a great loss.

Humphreys: What else did you do?

Henchoz: This basic strategy was continued onto the platform and the trains. For instance, we created special quiet carriages where the use of moblile phones and personal stereos was forbidden. We also cracked down hard on littering and things like feet on seats.

Humphreys: So, how did you enforce these rules?

Henchoz: The usual approach was ejection. If a passenger dropped litter he was ejected by the bouncers. If a passenger made noise in a Quiet Coach the conductor was given instructions that the train was not to leave the next station until the passenger had alighted.

Humphreys: Didn't this play havoc with punctuality?

Henchoz: In the first couple of months it certainly did. At first, people didn't believe we were serious but when they realised we were things quickly calmed down again.

Humphreys: That's the bad manners. What did you do about actual crime?

Henchoz: Well, certainly the crackdown on bad manners had a major effect but there was still an element who managed to get past the bouncers. We tackled these by encouraging passengers to pull the communication cord whenever they saw a crime and offering a reward of £1,000 each time they did. A train is a spectacularly stupid place to commit a crime - you have nowhere to run - especially when the conductor and half the passengers are armed.

Humphreys: So, that's on-train crime. What about off the train and on the track?

Henchoz: The change in the law to make railway property quasi-sovereign territory was a massive help. We introduced a bye-law allowing us to shoot trespassers. That deterred most would-be criminals.

Humphreys: And those who weren't.

Henchoz: We were lucky enough to engage the services of the Royal Marines Sniper School.

Humphreys: Royal Marines?

Henchoz: Yes, it seems there's nothing like practicing on live targets.

Humphreys: Did they issue a warning?

Henchoz: Usually... I must add that eradicating trespass and vandalism had an immediate effect on punctuality. Vandalism is the cause of a large proportion of delays. The dramatic reduction in graffiti also encouraged people back on to the railway and allowed us to cut costs.

Humphreys: Ed Henchoz, thank you very much.

Humphreys: You are listening to the Today programme, brought to you by the British Broadcasting Company in association with Smith and Wesson: portable protection for the masses and the smooth taste of Golden Virginia.