Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what categories of crime have (1) increased, and (2) decreased, on (a) railways, and (b) buses, in each year since 2014.

It is important to consider the following data in the context of an increase in passenger numbers on the railway, with crimes per million passengers remaining relatively low and indeed decreasing from 17.2 crimes per million passenger journeys in 2013/14 to 16.1 in 2016/17.

In terms of absolute numbers, on the railways, numbers recorded of violence against the person and sexual crimes have increased each year since 2014. Criminal damage/malicious mischief decreased in 2014 but has increased each year since then. Motor vehicle / cycle crime and robbery both decreased in 2015 and 2016 before increasing in 2017. Public disorder offences increased in 2014, decreased in 2015 and increased in 2016 and 2017.

Theft of railway or commercial property / burglary and fraud have decreased each year since 2014. Drug crime increased in 2014 but has decreased in every year since. Theft of passenger property has decreased each year since 2014 apart from a small increase in 2016.

The Government does not hold data on crimes on buses, which would be recorded by the local police force.