The number of crimes committed on Britain’s railways has fallen for the 11th year running, according to a recent report by British Transport Police (BTP).

BTP is the police force responsible for trains and tubes across Scotland, England and Wales. Its latest annual statistical bulletin revealed an overall drop in crime of more than 8% compared to the previous year. However, looking at Scotland on its own, the figures reveal a slight rise in overall railway crime of 1.3%

In 2014/15, the force recorded a total of 46,688 notifiable crimes across Britain, down from more than 50,000 in the preceding 12 months. 

However, not all categories of crime have experienced a fall. An additional 724 violent crimes were recorded by BTP in 2014/15, which represents a rise of 8%, although this is much lower than the average rise reported by Home Office forces. The majority of cases were lesser types of assault involving pushing and shoving rather than those resulting in more serious injuries.

Despite this increase in minor assaults, significant progress has been made in response to robbery offences as BTP continues to drive down some of the most serious offences on the railway. A total of 358 robbery offences were recorded across England, Scotland and Wales in 2014/15, a drop of 18% compared to the 436 recorded in 2013/14.

Theft of passenger property such as bags, smartphones or other devices on trains and at stations fell by 16% compared to 2013/14, with 2,314 fewer recorded offences, with similar decreases across each of BTP’s regional divisions.                                                               

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