Wilmslow railway station tops the crime stats

According to new figures released by British Transport Police Wilmslow rain station had the highest number of reported crimes in the region.

Between August 2018 and July 2019 17 crimes were reported at Wilmslow Station compared to 11 in the previous 12 months.

The main crime was the theft of bicycles – seven – as well as four violent crimes, three cases of criminal damage, arson, public order, theft from a person and robbery offences.

Heald Green and Knutsford stations ranked second with seven crimes each, compared with one and six crimes respectively in the previous period.

Among the reported crimes in Knutsford were two drug offences and two violent crimes, while Heald Green saw three public order offences.

Alderley Edge, Handforth and Holmes Chapel stations all saw a rise of one crime to total four, three and three respectively, mostly for public order offences.

A rise in crime can also be seen at Plumley, Styal and Ashley stations, with each rising from none between 2017 and 2018 to two, two and one crime respectively in the past 12 months.

The only stations to record a drop in crime levels were Goostrey, which saw no reported crimes compared to six last year, and Chelford, which saw one bicycle theft as opposed to five crimes the previous year.

Mobberley Station recorded no crimes, maintaining the standard it set in the last set of figures released.

Overall, stations in the area have seen a rise in the number of crimes, which is a trend that is consistent across the country.

Speaking about the figures nationally, Deputy Chief Constable Adrian Hanstock said: “Like forces throughout Britain, we have seen an increase in notifiable crime within the national network.

“With record levels of passengers using the railway, we anticipated there could be a subsequent rise in crime.

“Despite this increase, when put into context it is important to remember that the chance of becoming a victim of crime on the railway is very low.

“Of course, any rise in crime is of concern to us and we are tackling this head on through our problem-solving initiatives at key locations.”