Incidents
of ‘rail rage’ have contributed to a 30-year high in the number of violent
attacks on staff working across on Britain’s railways.
Assaults
that required medical treatment or that led to workers being absent for at
least three days increased by 22 per cent on last year, according to HM Railway
Inspectorate figures.
Vic
Coleman, chief inspector of HM Railway Inspectorate described the findings as
unacceptable,
“The
ongoing trend of increased violence to railway staff, including a rise in major
injuries is both shocking and unacceptable. People may try to explain this as
being a result of the disruption post Hatfield, but assaults have continued to
rise since 1996, with the exception of 1999/2000 when they dipped by just two
incidents,” he said.
The number of staff sustaining major injuries rose from 22
to 32 and of the total 462 assaults, 168 (36 per cent) were physical attacks on
London Underground staff.
By Ross Wigham
