Sexual\ncrimes committed on the Welsh rail network rose by 62.5% last year, reaching\nthe highest number on record. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00ad\u00adFifty-two\n\u2018sexual crimes\u2019 were recorded throughout the financial year 2018-19, compared\nto just thirty-two between 2017-18, according to new figures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The increase\nwas mainly down to a substantial rise in \u2018sexual crimes against females\u2019, which\nmore than doubled since last year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thirty-three such crimes were recorded between 2018-19, a 148% increase on the average yearly tally between 2012 and 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The number\nof sexual crimes against males rose from zero to three, but the number of\ncrimes relating to exposure fell by almost half, from seven to four.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
British Transport Police suggest the increase in recorded incidents could be partially attributed to a new text service, which they say \u201chas revolutionised the way sexual assault victims report crimes.\u201d It allows people to report incidents discreetly without drawing attention to themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a statement, they maintained that: \u201ctackling all forms of unwanted sexual behaviour on the railway is a priority for us \u2013 we take every report seriously and will thoroughly investigate all offences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Overall\ncrime on Welsh trains rose by 4.8%, the third consecutive year numbers have\nincreased. The 1,435 offences recorded last year is the highest figure since\nthe data set was compiled in 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
British Transport Police say: \u201cDespite this increase, it\u2019s important to remember that the chance of becoming a victim of crime on the railway in Wales continues to be rare.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most\nsignificant increases, other than in sexual crimes, came in \u2018drug crime\u2019, which\nrose by 59%, and \u2018violence against the person\u2019, which rose by 22%. It is the\nfirst time drug offence have increased, having previously fallen every year\nsince 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However\ncriminal damage fell by 62% on last year, with only fifty-two incidents, the\nlowest number since before 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Theft of\npassenger property also fell to a new low, a 13% decrease on 2017-18.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sexual crimes committed on the Welsh rail network rose by 62.5% last year, reaching the highest number on record. \u00ad\u00adFifty-two \u2018sexual crimes\u2019 were recorded throughout the financial year 2018-19, compared to just thirty-two between 2017-18, according to new figures. The increase was mainly down to a substantial rise in \u2018sexual crimes against females\u2019, which more than doubled since last year. Thirty-three such crimes were recorded between 2018-19, a 148% increase on the average yearly tally between 2012 and 2018. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":230,"featured_media":26391,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[58,35,6,18,96],"tags":[244,119,107,245,246,222,247,248,32,95,225,249],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-25506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-latest","category-news","category-slider-story","category-transport","tag-british-rail","tag-crime","tag-data","tag-drugs","tag-rail","tag-sexual-assault","tag-stats","tag-theft","tag-trains","tag-transport","tag-violence","tag-welsh-railway-network"],"yoast_head":"\n