Violent
crime on the railways is on the increase, with the number of assaults on London
Underground staff rising sharply, according to official statistics.
There
was a 2.3 per cent rise in reported crime on the UK’s
railways in the 12 months to the end of March 2004 compared to the previous 12
months, British Transport Police (BTP) said in its annual report.
Violent
crime on London Underground rose by more than a fifth. Much of this is due to a
29 per cent increase in assaults on staff, which now account for a third of all
reported assaults.
The
BTP acknowledged that, while progress had been made in the fight against acts
of vandalism, more needed to be done to protect both the public and members of
staff.
"Dealing
with anti-social behaviour is a top government priority and we are helping to
achieve that, making our rail system more pleasant for the travelling
public," said a BTP spokesman.
"We
are looking for the same success in reducing violence against passengers and
staff."
The
RMT union has called for more staff on each train
