London transport sex offence reports rise by a third

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People waiting at a Tube stationImage source, Reuters
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Both BTP and the Met said officers would take "every report of unwanted sexual behaviour seriously"

Reports of sex offences on the capital's transport network have risen by 36%, figures show.

Between April and December 2015, police received 1,603 reports, compared with 1,117 complaints in the same period the year before.

The number of arrests also went up by 40%, from 311 in 2014 to 438 in 2015.

Police and Transport for London (TfL) said the rise was partly due to a campaign encouraging passengers to report incidents.

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Offences reported include groping, leering, sexual comments, indecent acts and taking photographs without consent, in addition to serious sex attacks.

Both British Transport Police (BTP) and the Met said officers would take "every report of unwanted sexual behaviour seriously".

The rise in recorded sexual offences in London is in line with the picture across England, Scotland and Wales.

Last year, BTP released figures suggesting sex offences on trains and at stations had risen 25% since 2014.

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