Violent attacks on trains and underground rose by 12.5% last year, officials figures show
Recorded hate crimes soared 23 per cent with nearly 40 per cent of all victims being rail staff
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The number of violent attacks against passengers on mainline and underground trains has increased by 12.5 per cent in the last year, official figures show.
"Violence against the person" incidents across the country's rail network rose to 9,263 in 2016/17, up from 8,230 the previous year, data released by the British Transport Police (BTP) shows.
These included seven cases where the victim was killed, up from two a year earlier. In 5,907 cases, or more than half, the incident was reported as common assault.
The annual report from the BTP also showed the number of recorded sexual crimes increased from 1,952 to 2,132 cases in 2016/17 — an 8 per cent increase.
Meanwhile, hate crimes soared by 23 per cent, with the force recording 2,756 offences last year.
The BTP said it saw a peak in hate crimes following events such as the EU referendum and the terror attack in Nice last July. That month, the BTP said it recorded a "previously-unseen levels of hate crime" with more than 300 offences.
The force said hate crime remained an under-reported issue but that thanks to ongoing awareness campaigns, more victims were coming forward.
Overall, 2,300 hate crimes were reported as being racially motivated — the largest proportion — and the BTP said nearly 40 per cent of the victims were rail staff.
"Incidents often happen after an initial dispute and can happen more than once to the same member of staff," the report noted.
Thefts, fraud and drug crimes were all down on the previous year.
The findings echo official figures released last month which showed crime in England and Wales is at the highest level in a decade.
The data from the Office of National Statistics showed violent crime increased by 18 per cent in the last year and recorded crime went up by 10 per cent on 2015/16.
The BTP said its own figures showed only a 7 per cent increase in recorded crime compared to the previous year, with a total of 52,235 crimes, amounting to 16 crimes recorded for every million passenger journeys made on the rail network in England, Wales and Scotland.
Chief Constable Paul Crowther said: “As the network expands and becomes busier, it’s not surprising that more crimes are recorded. Stations are also becoming entertainment hubs, with Birmingham New Street and London St Pancras just two examples of railway stations attracting more people to their shops, bars and coffee shops.
"In addition to the increase in the number of people using the railway, we have also worked hard to make it easier for people to report crime to us.
"In the last 12 months, BTP officers have been at the forefront of a number of major incidents, including a tram derailment in Croydon in November and critical incidents in Westminster, Manchester and London Bridge and Borough Market.
"Coupled with increasing demand on our services, a growing rail infrastructure and the ever-present threat of terrorism, these are certainly challenging times for police forces. However, I am confident that BTP is in the right position to keep our railways safe for those who work and travel on them."
The figures also include London's Docklands Light Railway, the "Emirates AirLine" cable car in east London, the Croydon Tramlink, the Midland Metro tram system, Sunderland Metro, and Glasgow Subway, all of which the BTP polices.