Passengers urged to report sexual harassment on trains

Det Ch Insp Arlene Wilson called for passengers to be "active bystanders" and report incidents they see

Transport police are urging people to report any sexual harassment they witness while making train journeys.

The number of sexual offences reported on the rail network has increased since before the pandemic.

Speak Up, Interrupt is the new campaign encouraging people to report "inappropriate sexual behaviour" on trains, and intervene if they can.

British Transport Police (BTP) has launched a Railway Guardian app, which can be used to report incidents.

Passengers can also text 61016.

• Bid to ban troublemakers from trains in Scotland

• Should Scotland have women-only rail carriages?

• Alcohol ban introduced on Scotland’s rail network

Police figures show there were 46 sexual assaults reported by women on the railways in Scotland last year, the highest number in more than a decade.

There were also 301 reports of assault, threats or harassment on trains.

BTP Det Ch Insp Arlene Wilson told BBC Scotland women should trust their instincts if they felt uncomfortable.

"Tell us about how you've been made to feel uncomfortable, if that has happened to you, because we want to make every journey a safe journey," she said.

Det Ch Insp Wilson added: "We are not asking people to police the railway - that's our job. Being an active bystander or reporting an incident to us can make an enormous difference.

"Your reports provide us with crucial information which helps build a picture of what's happening on the rail network and subway to identify hotspots, deploy patrols and catch offenders."

ScotRail says it works closely with British Transport Police to make a safe environment

Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth also backed the campaign.

She said: "All of our passengers and staff have the right to travel on public transport without fear of being sexually assaulted, verbally or physically abused or harmed and we all have a part to play."

The minister said she knew how intimidating such behaviour could be.

Ms Gilruth added: "We as a government are taking this very seriously.

"To do that we need to better gather the data that will inform policy going forward so that we can improve women's experience on public transport."

Joanne Maguire, chief operating officer at ScotRail, said the company worked closely with BTP to make a "safe environment for our customers, and our own people".

She added: "To assist us in tackling unacceptable behaviour, it's important for anyone who witnesses it to report those responsible so that they can be brought to justice."