Crime on Trains and Buses in the UK: A Simple Look at the Numbers

Apr 25, 2026, 11:49

Introduction

New numbers from the UK government show big changes in crime on trains and buses. Some crimes went up a lot. Other crimes went down. Different people have different ideas about what to do.

Main Body

Robbery went up by 136 percent. Theft went up by 32 percent. Hate crimes went up by 30 percent. Sexual crimes went up by 17 percent. But police say more people now report these crimes. Harassment went down by 8 percent. Last year, total crime on trains went down by 3 percent. More people traveled on trains. The Liberal Democrats want more police on trains. They say police patrols help keep people safe. A study from Cambridge University found that 15-minute patrols four times a day at busy stations reduced crime by 28 percent. The study says the effect stays even when police are not there. The British Transport Police say the risk of crime is low. There are only 26 crimes for every million trips. They helped reduce robberies in London by 35 percent in winter. The government will give 15 percent more money to the police over three years. They will hire more than 200 new officers. 80 percent of passengers say they feel safe.

Conclusion

The numbers show some crimes went up since 2018. But recent reports say overall crime on trains is going down. The plan is to spend more money and put police in the right places.

Vocabulary Learning

passenger (n.)
traveler / a person who is traveling in a car, bus, train, or plane乘客
Example:Every passenger on the bus must wear a seatbelt.
reduce (v.)
lower / to make something smaller in size, amount, or number減少；降低
Example:Eating more vegetables can help reduce the risk of illness.
report (v.)
tell / to give people information about something that happened舉報；報告
Example:You should report the accident to the police immediately.
risk (n.)
danger / the possibility of something bad happening風險；危險
Example:There is always a risk of rain when the sky is cloudy.
robbery (n.)
stealing / the crime of stealing money or things from a person or place搶劫；劫案
Example:The police are looking for the man who committed the robbery.

Sentence Learning

But police say more people now report these crimes.
Contrast and Time: The word 'But' shows a different idea, and 'now' tells us about the present time.對比與時間: 'But' 一詞顯示了轉折的想法，而 'now' 則告訴我們有關現在的時間。
Last year, total crime on trains went down by 3 percent.
Time and Place: 'Last year' shows when it happened, and 'on trains' shows where it happened.時間與地點: 'Last year' 顯示了事情發生的時間，而 'on trains' 則顯示了地點。
The plan is to spend more money and put police in the right places.
Addition and Place: The word 'and' joins two actions, and 'in the right places' shows where.連接與地點: 'and' 一詞連接了兩個動作，而 'in the right places' 則顯示了地點。
The government will give 15 percent more money to the police over three years.
Prepositional Phrases: 'To the police' shows who receives the money, and 'over three years' shows the time period.介詞短語: 'To the police' 顯示了誰獲得金錢，而 'over three years' 則顯示了時段。
The numbers show some crimes went up since 2018.
Time Marker: The word 'since' is a time marker that shows when something started in the past.時間標記: 'since' 一詞是一個時間標記，顯示了過去某事開始的時間。