The number of sexual offences reported on Britain's railways has more than doubled over the past five years, according to British Transport Police (BTP) figures. There were 2,382 offences in 2017, compared with 1,049 in 2013. The figures, obtained by LBC via a freedom of information request, include incidents on trains, the London Underground, and stations.
Overall crime on public transport has generally fallen over the last decade. Police attribute the rise in recorded sexual offences to campaigns encouraging victims to come forward, though they believe most incidents remain unreported. Of the 2017 total, 210 involved children under 18.
Victims have been able to report sexual offences by text message since 2013 under Project Guardian, a London-based policing operation that includes specialist covert patrols on the Underground. The campaign has since been superseded by Report It to Stop It, which aims to raise awareness and give people confidence to contact police.
A BTP spokesman said: 'We have worked hard in recent years to send a clear message to victims that they will be taken seriously and we will thoroughly investigate offences. This includes any form of behaviour that makes them feel uncomfortable – that could be rubbing, leering, sexual comments, indecent acts or more serious sexual assault.'
The overwhelming majority of reports were in England, with only 87 offences recorded in Scotland and Wales last year, up from 60 in 2013. The figures have risen steadily each year: 1,307 in 2014, 1,795 in 2015, and 2,070 in 2016.
