Polices records show that a documented crime on British railways has increased since last year, up by a 1/5 an alarming number of increasing number of violent and sexual offences have been reported
British Transport Police (BTP) recorded 2,472 sexual offences last year, up 16%, and 11,711 violent crimes, up by 26%. The figures also showed big rises in cable thefts and arson attacks.
The End Violence Against Women Coalition said a rise in the number of people reporting sexual violence was partly because of the #MeToo movement.
It added that there have also been initiatives to encourage reporting over the past few years.
The #MeToo campaign has encouraged women globally to speak out about sexual harassment and abuse.
Overall, BTP recorded 61,159 crimes in 2017-18 in England, Scotland and Wales, a rise of 17%.
Their figures also show a number of other crimes increasing on the rail network, including: Throwing missiles at trains, Arson, Live cable theft and Theft from vending machines.
BTP Chief Constable Paul Crowther said: “The chances of becoming a victim of crime on the rail network remains low.
“However, after a long period of steady decreases, both crimes per million passenger journeys and notifiable offences have increased.”
A notifiable offence is any offence where the police must inform the Home Office for statistical purposes.
Nineteen crimes were recorded per million passenger journeys.
