VAWG - BTP Update

BTP warns sex offenders to “Think Again” in fresh campaign

An all-new British Transport Police (BTP) campaign launching today (16 June) warns offenders that their sexually motivated behaviour won’t go unnoticed.

It targets men who can’t conduct themselves properly, placing the responsibility directly and solely on them to rethink their predatory behaviour.

The rollout of ‘Think Again’ bolsters BTP’s ongoing efforts to tackle violence and intimidation against women and girls on the railway, which continues to be a significant and enduring issue.

In recent years the force has strengthened its capabilities to combat sexual offending – this work is being spearheaded by an internal taskforce dedicated to combating the crime type.

Just last week they secured the first-ever conviction under new sex-based harassment legislation. Section 4B of the Public Order Act 1986 will see more men convicted of sexual harassment and face harsher penalties.

Passengers can expect to see physical and digital campaign visuals across the rail network at high footfall locations, and audio adverts will feature across Spotify’s streaming service.

Would-be offenders are told: “Think you’re being discreet? Think again”. And it highlights some of the key resources used to target sexual predators, including officers in plain clothes and over 150,000 CCTV cameras across the network watching their every move.

BTP Detective Chief Inspector Nia Mellor said: “Violence and intimation towards women at the hands of men has become all too common, and we’re directly warning these men to rethink their behaviour in our new campaign.

“We want to stop sex offenders in their tracks, but they should be in no doubt that if they commit a crime on the network, we will be hot on their heels and they will face justice.

“Its launch complements our ongoing work in tackling sexual offending on the railway, which is unrelenting. If you experience or see this happening on the network, we want to hear from you so we can thoroughly investigate it.”

Witnesses or victims of sexual offending on the railway can report directly to BTP by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40.   

The number of texts received to BTP’s 61016 number continues to rise as confidence grows among passengers to report incidents, especially for crimes which have historically been underreported. Over a quarter of a million texts are received annually – and this figure increases year-on-year.