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Notes to editors

The number incidents of railway crime reported to the British Transport police in the Eastbourne area: 2006 – 43 2007 – 38 2008 – 28 2009 (Jan – July) – 10 National Railway Crime Statistics 2008: - A total of around 13,000 recorded incidents of trespass and vandalism. This excludes cable theft, suicides, on-train vandalism. - 5,000+ crimes committed by young people. This equates to more than 100 a week. - 3,089 trespass incidents with young people. - 90 incidents of playing chicken - 1,063 objects thrown at trains - 1,181 objects placed on the tracks - We know that the number of incidents increase between 4pm and 7pm and during school holidays. - Young people are responsible for nearly 40% of crimes on the railway. Whilst the minority, young people take more risks and their actions are more dangerous – ie playing chicken and graffiti spraying in hard to reach locations. Adult crimes tend to be more platform-to-platform trespass and taking short cuts. - Fatalities: There were 57 accidental public fatalities excluding those at level crossings. Three were of people under the age of 20. Comparison from 2007 to 2008: - Overall recorded incidents of rail crime are down around 13% - Recorded incidents of rail crime are down around 30% in the 100 hotspot locations where we have focused the campaign. - Recorded incidents of rail crime are down around 45% in the ten worst locations The cost: - Railway crime costs the industry £264m every year. The dangers - Did you know…? - Trains travel at up to 125mph and can take the length of 20 football pitches to stop. If you get hit by a train, there will only be one loser - In Sussex, trains are powered by the third rail. It carries 750 volts of electricity and is never switched off. Touching the rail will almost certainly result in death or serious injury. The penalties: - Trespassing on the railway is a criminal offence which carries a fine of up to £1,000. A child of 10 years or older in England and Wales can be prosecuted and a child of 12 years or older can be sent to a residential care unit. - Putting objects on the tracks (like rocks or shopping trolleys) could cause a train accident which may hurt or kill other people. People who do this can be prosecuted by the police. The maximum penalty for causing a train accident is life imprisonment. If a child is charged with causing a train accident, then a parent/guardian may be prosecuted by the police too. - Graffiti is also a serious crime which can result in a prison sentence. If you are caught trespassing or vandalising on the railway, then you will be prosecuted.