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RAILWAY CRIME – THE FACTS Railway crime is a serious and ongoing problem for the rail industry with up to 60 people losing their lives each year by taking short cuts or messing around on the tracks and costing the industry over £250 million a year. In the last five years: - One in four accidental fatalities was of someone aged eight to 18 - Half of all near misses involved children. With the majority of trespass incidents involving adults, this is quite worrying. It seems as if whilst adults are taking short cuts, children are taking chances 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 winner - Trains can travel the length of 20 football pitches in just 7 seconds - It takes up to 25,000 volts of electricity to power trains through the overhead lines. It’s always switched on and can even jump through the air to get to you. If you get too close it can kill – you don’t even have to touch anything to get killed! - In some places on the network, 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 Crime - Examples of railway crime include trespassing by running across the tracks or taking short cuts, throwing objects, placing debris on the line, interfering with level crossing barriers and equipment, breaking telephones and of course, graffiti, which is the fastest growing type of offence. The Penalties - Trespassing on the railway is a criminal offence which carries a fine of up to £1,000. A child of eight years or older in Scotland and 10 years or older in England and Wales can be prosecuted by the police. A child of 12 years or older can be sent to a residential care unit. In Scotland, a parent/guardian will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal who will give them a reparation order which may mean that they have to attend a course or take part in community punishment projects. - Putting objects on the tracks (like rocks or shopping trolleys) could cause a train accident which may hurt or kill other people. If you do this, then you 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 by the police. More Key Facts - Trespass: apart from suicide, trespass is the largest source of risk on the railway - Vandalism: evidence suggests that a small number of graffiti vandals or “taggers” are responsible for the vast majority of graffiti in a particular area. Graffiti vandals put themselves in grave danger by scaling walls and fences and trespassing onto the railway - Railway crime patterns: both trespass and vandalism trends show a strong seasonal cycle with a peak between March and September – when the evenings get lighter and children are not in school.