Crime on railway is falling

CRIME on Warrington’s rail network is down – meaning it is a much safer form of transport for local commuters.
British Transport Police say that crime on the network across the North West as a whole is down by 12 per cent, but worryingly, officers reported a big increase in drug related offences.
Sexual offences were down by 17 per cent, as was fraud by 53 per cent and criminal damage by 25 per cent.
Chief Supt Pete Holden said: “These figures are extremely encouraging, proving that travelling on the North West’s railways is safer than ever.
“Just about every category of crime is down in the North West, with violent crime down 16 per cent and robberies reduced by 18 per cent. In addition, police officers and police staff have increased the detection rate for all offences by five percentage points.
“The railway remains a low crime environment and these figures show that crime is falling. I would like to thank all officers and staff for their commitment and hard work over the past year. These figures are also testament to the excellent working relationship we have with our colleagues in the rail industry whose increased investment in security is paying dividends.
“We will not be complacent however and officers are already working hard to reduce these figures further during 2008/9 and increase the number of offences detected.”
Officers claim the reason for the “big” increase in the number of drug offences is because of the number of increased operations carried out specifically designed to clamp down on drug abuse.
Chief Supt Holden added: “While mindful that the chances of becoming a victim of crime on the region’s rail network is low, we will continue to tackle anti-social behaviour and offences which can alter people’s perception of how safe the network is. The introduction of neighbourhood policing to the region is central to this.”
Chief Constable of British Transport Police Ian Johnston added: “These figures are good news for rail passengers and staff, and are a tribute not only to hard work of our police officers and police staff, but to the commitment and investment of the rail industry in improving the safety and security of passengers and rail staff.”