So, there’s this thing about Britain’s train stations being all crime-infested and stuff. Not really sure why this matters, but apparently, a small station in the middle of nowhere in Wales called Johnston takes the top spot. Yeah, I know, shocking, right? This Johnston place saw a whopping 10 crimes in 2024, with four of them being violent, like fistfights and stabbings. But get this, it had the highest crime rate in the UK – 1,440 per million passengers. Why? Well, because only 7,000 people used the station that year, which is like 19 people a day. Crazy, huh?
Moving on, crime on the entire transport network hit a record high last year. Almost 80,000 offenses were recorded by the British Transport Police in 2023/24. Violent crimes and sex offenses are off the charts, doubling in the last decade. Overall, crime levels are up by 55% compared to ten years ago. There was this wild incident at Barnham Station in West Sussex where a gang of teenage girls went on a rampage, attacking everyone in sight. They threw punches, headbutts, and even ripped out hair like it was a trophy. And get this, they didn’t even go to prison for it. Can you believe that?
When it comes to crime rates, London St Pancras International tops the list with 1,616 crimes. But hey, it’s a super busy station with 38.5 million passengers, so it kinda makes sense. After Johnston, the next dodgy station is Redbridge in Southampton, with 1,180 crimes per million passengers. There were 38 crimes reported there last year, mostly vehicle-related. Small stations seem to be the troublemakers, like Tiverton Parkway in Devon, ranking fourth with 484 crimes. And get this, technically, Ince and Elton Station in Cheshire had the highest crime rate of 11,600 crimes per million passengers – but they only had one offense. Yeah, figure that one out.
In the end, it’s all a bit of a mess, really. Crime rates are up, stations are getting sketchier, and people are on edge. There was that heartbreaking incident at Crawley Station where a young mother was stabbed to death by her boyfriend in front of everyone. And don’t even get me started on the attack at Birmingham New Street Station where an elderly woman died after being assaulted. It’s a tough world out there, folks. But hey, the British Transport Police are doing their best to keep things under control. They say the chances of becoming a crime victim on the railway are low, so that’s something, right? Let’s hope things start looking up soon.
