Women and teen girls in the south west urged to report sexual harassment on the rail network
Reports in the region have risen in the last year
More cases of sexual harassment are being reported on the south west's rail networks - something British Transport Police (BTP) has actually welcomed.
They're encouraging women and teenage girls to come forward and report incidents because there's concerns it's being under-reported.
Sexual harassment reports on trains in the south west have risen by 32% from 2022 to 2023, according to figures released today, with 41 cases brought to BTP's attention last year.
Detective Chief Inspector Nia Mellor leads their response to violence and intimidation against women and girls and told Greatest Hits Radio that more people coming forward is a good news.
She said: "We actually see this rise as a really positive sign that people are becoming more aware of what the types of behaviours are that could constitute sexual harassment, how to report them to us, and having the confidence that we will deal with them effectively."
Unacceptable behaviours 'normalised'
DCI Mellor told us sexual harassment includes things such as intrusive staring, catcalling, taking unwanted photographs and making sexually motivated comments to individuals.
It's believed the 'normalisation' of these behaviours has led to the crime going unreported by victims.
"People feel that oh, it's just something that happens to me. I won't be taken seriously. I won't be believed. I've just got to put up with it. But what we are saying is that these types of behaviours are not tolerated on the rail network and they're not acceptable."
'Nothing is too trivial to report'
British Transport Police are urging women and teen girls to report sexual harassment through their text system.
By messaging 61016, victims can make discreet contact with BTP officers. They can also report incidents through the Railway Guardian app, which also features help and guidance.
DCI Mellor says every incident should be reported.
"Nothing is too small, nothing is too trivial to report and we want to hear from you because your report could really be that missing part of the puzzle that will help us to identify perpetrators."