New campaign launched to encourage rail users to report sexual harassment

British Transport Police has launched a hard-hitting public awareness campaign in a bid to encourage rail passengers to report sexual harassment in all its forms.

‘Your Piece of the Puzzle’ uses the words of real victims whose information led to a serial sex offender being apprehended on the rail network and convicted of his crimes.

The campaign showcases how vital all reports from the public are and how your information, whether you are a victim or witness, could be the final piece of the puzzle which helps police catch a serial offender.

“Every piece of information we receive, whether it’s from a victim themselves or from a bystander can play a part in a wider investigation against an individual. They may have made a sexual remark to you on the train, but the day before they could have sexually assaulted someone else. Your information may be the missing piece which leads us to identify the offender and secure justice for all their victims.”

Temporary Assistant Chief Constable, Paul Furnell.

Brave victims have talked for the first time about how an offender sat next to them on a busy train and pretended to adjust his bag or fall asleep in order to assault them.

Data released at the end of last year revealed over a third of women have been victim of sexual harassment or sexual offences while commuting by train or tube. The survey, conducted by British Transport Police, also showed that 51 per cent of those who have been victims of sexual offending say that other passengers tried to help them, yet only one in five people who have witnessed sexual harassment have reported it to police.

“We know these crimes often go under-reported for various reasons. Victims tell us they doubt themselves, or that they feel that what happened to them was minor and reporting wouldn’t be worthwhile. With this campaign we want to highlight that this couldn’t be further from the truth.”

Temporary Assistant Chief Constable, Paul Furnell.

Reports can be made to British Transport Police on 61016, via the Railway Guardian app or by calling 0800 40 50 40. To report past incidents and anonymously report sexual offences visit the British Transport Police website.

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