The British Transport Police and the rail industry are taking new measures to help tackle Violence and Intimidation Against Women and Girls (VIAWG).

In the next two years, they will be using more resources and measures to ensure heightened safety on Britain’s railways.

Currently, around 1 in 5 crimes reported in the UK are related to VIAWG, making it a huge issue to be tackled. Additionally, 2,000 passengers were surveyed and showed that 9 in 10 thought that VIAWG was an important issue, with 85% believing that the rail industry has an important role.

The government aims to halve the number of incidents through the new strategy.

The new measures include:

• Improved CCTV connectivity, with secure evidence transfer.
• A specialised unit to investigate offences and identify hotspots, introducing heightened presence.
• Increased use of body-worn cameras, with the aim of 100% of customer-facing staff being equipped by 2028.
• Ensuring customer-facing roles have consistent background checks

Passenger feedback and focus groups will inform progress made on implementing new measures.

“As an industry our message is clear, any form of violence and intimidation on the rail network is completely unacceptable. Over the past year we’ve built real momentum, including the continued success of our Zero Tolerance campaign, which sends a clear and unified message that harmful behaviours have no place on our network. But we know there is more to do. By deepening our partnership with British Transport Police and uniting the industry behind bold, transparent action, we are setting a new standard for safety and accountability. Our goal is simple: a railway where safety is a lived reality for every woman and girl, every day.” 

Jacqueline Starr, Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Rail Delivery Group