03 July 2023 , 17:31
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The mass closures of railway ticket offices risks creating a robbers’ paradise after a surge in crime at stations.
Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT union, said fears that almost 1,000 offices could be shut could drive crime rates even higher.
“We already have destaffing at stations which is leaving those that remain vulnerable and putting people off using the railways,” he told the Mirror.
Reports say the process of closing nearly all of the country’s railway ticket offices could begin as early as this week, with the start of consultations.
Yet the RMT’s warning came as data from the British Transport Police showed a sharp rise in crime at large railway stations. One of the worst is Birmingham New Street, which saw 632 recorded incidents in 2022/23, up from 419 in 12 months.
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Station ticket offices are being closed down en masse (Rowden Mill Station / SWNS)Of the 632 crimes, 172 were classified as violent. In London, St Pancras International had 807 reported crimes in 2022/23, a big increase from the 383 from 2021/22.
The RMT says ticket office closures are among the reasons its members plan to strike later this month as part of a long-running dispute.
A Rail Delivery Group spokesman said: “For over a year it has been negotiating with the RMT on those reforms, which include moving staff to concourses where they will be better able to help more customers.”