According to the Office of Rail and Road, there were 10,231 assaults against passengers on British main lines in 2024—the highest number in 20 years. The figure marks a 6.9% rise from the previous year and more than triple the total a decade ago.
This surge comes even as violent crime across England and Wales continues to fall. While police-recorded violence nationwide declined last year, rail network incidents rose by 7%, making Britain’s trains a notable exception.
Former British Transport Police (BTP) chief Andy Trotter blames a growing “sense of disorder,” saying offenders act with impunity amid overstretched policing. “Shoplifters aren’t stopped, barriers are jumped, phones are stolen—people feel they can get away with things,” he said.
Passenger safety concerns are mounting. A government survey found 29% of respondents avoid train travel because they feel unsafe due to other passengers’ behaviour. Yet the number of BTP officers has barely changed in five years.
Unions have also warned that plans for unstaffed stations could endanger safety. “Stations must be staffed,” said former transport minister Sir John Hayes, adding that trained personnel deter anti-social behaviour.
The rise in violence includes worrying trends: attacks against women and girls have jumped by over 50% since 2021, and racist incidents on public transport are up 67% since 2022.
Following the weekend’s deadly attack near Huntingdon, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has ordered a review of rail safety. The British Transport Police said it continues “intelligence-led patrols” and maintains that public safety remains its top priority.
Eszter Balogi is a third-year student at the Faculty of Law of Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. In 2025, she served as an intern at the European Parliament with the Foundation for a Civic Hungary. Beside her legal studies, her main interest is national and international history.
