Sexual assault, robbery and attacks on police offers among the crimes recorded on trains and in stations in Calderdale

Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act to the Halifax Courier by British Transport police show there were 213 crimes recorded at train stations and on trains in the borough since the start of 2021.

They include four sexual assaults: a girl under the age of 18 was sexually assaulted on a train heading to Hebden Bridge Railway Station in March 2021 by a boy under 18, a boy under the age of 18 was sexually assaulted at Hebden Bridge Railway Station by a man in his sixties in March 2022, a woman in her fifties was sexually assaulted on a train heading to Halifax Railway Station in October 2021 and a woman in her twenties was sexually assaulted on a train heading to Halifax Railway Station in March 2022.

There were 67 assaults, including six on police officers, 42 thefts, 40 incidents of harassment, two robberies and two incidents of arson.

Other recorded crimes include possession of drugs, theft, damage and public order offences including fear or provocation of violence racially or religiously aggravated harassment.

Most crimes were recorded in connection with Halifax, with 83 happening either at the station or on trains heading there.

There were 34 on trains heading to Hebden Bridge station or at the station itself, and the same number on trains heading to Todmorden station or at the station itself.

Halifax MP Holly Lynch said: "During the campaign against the outrageous proposals to close ticket offices earlier in the year, submissions to my consultation revealed how often people have been victims of crime or caught up in violent incidents on the rail network and sought help from staff at the ticket office.

"These statistics reveal further shocking evidence of the scale of the problem.

"We need to put police officers back into communities and town centres where we need them which is why Labour is pledging 13,000 more people in neighbourhood policing teams, to work alongside British Transport Police.

"We must also hold rail companies to account if they fail to invest in the safe staffing and journey experiences that passengers pay for and deserve.”

Inspector Kelly Durant, from British Transport Police, said: “Any form of crime on the rail network is something we take extremely seriously and one incident is too many.

"Officers are deployed at stations and on trains across the railway network day and night in uniform and plain clothes to identify offenders and tackle crime on the network. Additionally, specialist taskforces use intelligence and data to inform deployments, so we're able to target hotspots to both deter and detect crime.

"We have been working tirelessly to encourage the public to report incidents to us using our text number and the Railway Guardian app.

"It's vital that anyone who is a witness to, or victim of a crime reports it to us so we can investigate and take action. There are many ways passengers can report to British Transport Police, they can discreetly text 61016, they can use the free Railway Guardian app which also contains with safety advice and support, they can call 0800 40 50 40, or report online. In an emergency they should always call 999."