More protection for rail passengers in Leeds

A nationwide campaign launches today, calling on victims of unwanted sexual behaviour to report offences to police, no matter how small.

Every Report Builds a Picture highlights how multiple reports from different people can help BTP ‘build a picture’ of offenders – even if some of those cases don’t make it to court.

This is the second phase of the Report It To Stop It campaign, which was launched in 2015 to tackle under-reporting of sexual offences.

Research showed that following this campaign, there was an increase in reporting of sexual offences, but some victims were still unsure whether anything could or would be done to catch the offender.

Unwanted sexual behaviour is anything that makes a person feel uncomfortable. Passengers can report anything of a sexual nature, including groping, leering, sexual comments and indecent acts. Victims don’t have to prove that it was a criminal offence or that it was committed intentionally, as our officers will investigate that.

Harriotte Lane is 16. She was sexually assaulted at Newcastle Central station in August last year.

She has waived her right to anonymity in a bid to encourage others to come forward and report any incident of unwanted sexual behaviour.

She reported the offence to police, and that directly led to another victim of the same man coming forward.

Her attacker appeared before the courts in November last year.

Harriotte, who was crowned Miss Teen Galaxy England in March this year, was travelling back from a friend’s house in Leeds on 26 August last year - we've been sharing her story:

Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Furnell said: “Tackling all forms of unwanted sexual behaviour on the railway is a priority for us.

“Each report we receive provides us with valuable information which we can use to build a picture of an offender. The sooner we receive a report, the better chance we have of catching the offender.

“We want people to know that even if they think something is too small to be taken seriously by police, that is not the case. Often it allows us to notice a pattern of offending behaviour and we will take action.

“Although normally an increase in reported crime is seen as negative, we welcome the increased reporting of sexual offences.

“This indicates an increased awareness that all types of unwanted sexual behaviour are unacceptable. More people have the confidence to report what has happened to them and know we will take them seriously.

“No incident is too small or trivial. We will always take you seriously."

The targeted week of action starting today will see uniformed officers step up patrols and advise commuters on how to report unwanted sexual behaviour. We want people to know they can discreetly text 61016, which is monitored by our control room.

Plain clothes officers will also be looking out for any potential offenders on the network.

Further days of engagement and action will be carried out in the coming weeks to support the campaign, with officers handing out leaflets and giving advice to commuters and tourists.