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Straight answers: Personal security on the railway

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How safe is the railway?

It is important that everyone who uses the railways whether for travel or as a place to work feels safe and secure every single day. To ensure people are protected, disruption is kept to a minimum and vulnerable people are supported, the industry and its partners are investing in our policing and security services.

Crime on the railway is far less frequent than it is on the streets in most areas of the country, with on average of one crime per 6 million journeys.

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Who are the British transport police?

The British Transport Police is the dedicated police force for the national rail network and one of the oldest police forces in the world.

The BTP has 2,700 police officers, 400 Police and Community Support Officers and over 400 premises nationwide. There are over 70,000 CCTV cameras focused on keeping people safe.

The British Transport Police deals with over 50,000 crimes on the rail network per year. Uniformed officers and specialist detectives solved over 1,300 (12%) more crimes than last year – delivering justice for a further 25 victims of crime every week.

Reducing trespassing on the railway has been a focal point of British Transport Police and the rail industry. Not only is trespassing a highly dangerous offence it also causes widespread disruption to rail services. Alongside a national campaign to raise awareness of the obvious dangers of trespassing on the railway, the BTP has also targeted its efforts at incident hotspots, reducing trespassing by 34%.

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How are rail companies protecting vulnerable people?

Almost 200,000 rail workers have completed a one-day suicide awareness course to give them the confidence to intervene if they see a vulnerable person around the railway.

Compared to 2010, rail staff are intervening four times more often when they see a person who might be considering taking their own life on the tracks.

In 2018/19, 2,529 ‘interventions’ were made – a 32% increase on the previous year, meaning 314 more lives were saved.

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