Public Transport: Crimes of Violence
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of creating a specific criminal offence of assaulting a public transport worker at work.
Answered by Keir Mather
There is no place for abuse or assault of any worker; everyone should feel safe and be safe whilst working. The Government values the commitment of everyone who works in the public transport sector ensuring the continued running of all the vital services which many people rely on daily.
The Government is not looking to introduce a specific criminal offence of assaulting a public transport worker as we do not believe it would result in the intended objective of reducing the number of assaults. Public transport workers do of course already have extensive protection in existing legislation such as the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 which also covers more serious violence such as actual bodily harm (ABH) and grievous bodily harm (GBH), and courts must already consider offences against public facing workers as an aggravating factor under the Police Crime and Sentencing Act 2022.
We are working with the transport industry to ensure that practical interventions are being taken to make workers to feel safe. This includes encouraging greater use of Body Worn Video (BWV) by rail staff and through the Bus Services Act 2025, we are mandating training for staff on how to recognise and respond to incidents of crime and anti-social behaviour on public transport where it is safe to do so.
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