Dozens of sex offences revealed at South Yorkshire railway stations
Figures have revealed dozens of sex offences have been reported in South Yorkshire’s railway station in three years.
British Transport Police (BTP) statistics show that more than 80 sex offences have been reported across the county, at the stations in Sheffield, Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham, since 2022.
In 2022 and 2024, BTP logged 31 sex crimes at South Yorkshire stations. There were 21 in 2023. Some were on platforms or the concourse, some were committed onboard trains.
It comes after British Transport Police’s (BTP) 2024 annual report shows that there has been a 10 per cent rise in recorded sexual offences against women on railways from the previous year, up from 2,246 to 2,475 nationally.
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The figures were obtained by the specialist solicitors firm, Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice, who said a survey of 2,000 people commissioned by the BTP last year also found that over a third of women had been a victim of sexual harassment or sexual offending on their commute.
Despite this, they said a large number of women do not report their experiences, as many people feel scared or believe that their experience won’t be taken seriously, according to the report.
Detective Chief Insp Nia Mellor, from BTP, said tackling sexual offences was the top priority at British Transport Police.
She said: “We take every report of sexual harassment or violence extremely seriously.
“We know that these crimes commonly go underreported, which is why we relentlessly campaign to encourage witnesses and victims to report these offences to us. With this, we expect the number of reports to continue to rise. We view this increase as a positive sign that our efforts are paying off, and that women and girls are feeling more confident to report all forms of sexual harassment and violence on the rail network to us.
“We are working tirelessly to stamp out this unacceptable behaviour. We have patrols of uniformed and specially trained plain clothes officers across the railway day and night to catch offenders and reassure passengers as they travel, along with access to over 150,000 cameras across the railway network, which can provide us with clear, high-quality images.
“Each report we receive provides us with valuable information which we can use to build a picture of an offender. Often it allows us to notice a pattern of offending behaviour so we can take action.
“If you experience or witness sexual harassment or a sexual offence on the railway, we urge you to report it to us by texting 61016 or calling 0800 405040 . In an emergency always dial 999."