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FIGURES SHOW A RISE IN CRIME ACROSS BRITAIN’S RAILWAYS
VIOLENT crimes on Britain’s railways rose by more than 16% last year.
That’s according to official figures published by the British Transport Police (BTP).
They reveal a total of 13,591 violent offences in 2018/19 - up 1,920 from the year before.
The force said that preventing serious violence and knife crime on the rail network remains one of its
highest priorities, and that since the start of the year they have concentrated efforts to tackle such violent behaviour.
In 2017/18 half of recorded knife crime on the railway was a result of officers successfully seizing weapons and other prohibited items.
The number of drug offences rocketed by 53% over the year, while robberies increased by a third and theft of passenger property rose by 21%.
BTP blamed the rise in crime on an increase in passenger numbers.
Deputy Chief Constable Adrian Hanstock, said: “Like forces throughout Britain, we have seen an increase in notifiable crime within the national network.
“With record levels of passengers using the railway, we anticipated there could be a subsequent rise in crime.
“As stations become increasingly commercial environments, a large proportion of this increase is as a result of theft of passenger property, antisocial behaviour or shoplifting.
“Despite this increase, when put into context it is important to remember that the chance of becoming a victim of crime on the railway is very low.
“We now police more than 3.3 billion journeys each year, the equivalent of a third of the world’s population passing through our jurisdiction. Of course, any rise in crime is of concern to us and we are tackling this head on through our problem-solving initiatives at key locations.”
The worst part of the country for violent crime was London and the South East of England.
Some 71% of all violent offences took place there.
On the other hand, only 3% took place in Wales.
There were six murders on British railways over the year - up from five in 2017/18.
They include the fatal stabbing of Lee Pomeroy on a service between Guildford and London in January.
The force also reported increasing demand in suicide prevention and supporting those experiencing mental health issues.
They saw a 32% increase in the number of lifesaving interventions by police and members of rail staff.
DCC Hanstock said: “It is troubling that the railway still attracts those in mental health crisis; officers and rail staff work incredibly hard to safeguard those with vulnerabilities and help them access the most appropriate care and support.”