Sexual and violent crime rises on region's railways

In the Midlands there was a 17 per cent rise in the number of violent crimes reported and sexual offences went up by 11.1 per cent while in Wales that figure increased by 15.8 per cent.

However, crime on the whole has fallen over the last year, says a new report by British Transport Police.

In Wales, the number of reported crimes fell by 11 per cent while in the Midlands crime dropped by 2.5 per cent.

There were 150 fewer offences recorded during 2014/15 in Wales and in the Midlands force area there were 4,087 notifiable offences recorded during the entire year.

British Transport Police announced the figures as part of its annual report, which showed an 11th consecutive year of reduced crime and increased safety for the travelling public.

Superintendent Andy Morgan, sub divisional commander for Wales, said: "Crime on Wales's railways has again fallen.

"These figures show that the railways in Wales remain a low crime environment, despite increasing passenger numbers and major infrastructure projects.

"The figures remain relatively low, with a total of 22 sexual offences recorded in 2014/15 and it is worth noting that the chances of being a victim of any crime on the railway are small."

Superintendent Allan Gregory, Sub Divisional Commander for British Transport Police in the Midlands, said: "The railway in our region is safer than ever before, with just 11 crimes occurring each day across the whole of the Midlands.

"I am particularly pleased to see a reduction in robberies meaning that there are now fewer people falling victim to some of the most serious and intimidating offences.

"It should be noted, however, that the number of crimes recorded for both sexual and violence offences remain relatively low with fewer than two violence offences happening each day across the whole region and only one sexual offence recorded every four-and-a-half days.

"The rise in violent crime is a concern as we are committed to driving violence and intimidating behaviour from the railway. It should be noted, however, that during the past year, nationally, there has been a renewed police focus on the quality of recording and a greater willingness from victims to come forward."