THE NUMBER of thefts of personal property from railway passengers has risen by 16 per cent, partly because of organised pickpocketing gangs. There has also been an increase in violent incidents in the past year, which rose by 201 on the National Rail network.

New figures from British Transport Police reveal that in spite of these rises railway crime in general has continued to fall for the ninth year running, with a 2 per cent drop in 'notifiable offences' in 2012/13.

The rise in losses of personal items, mostly in the London area, is being attributed in part to the fact that hi-tech portable devices such as smartphones and tablets are more easily stolen and can be readily sold on by thieves.

British Transport Police has responded with a new strategy, known as Operation Magnum, which is aimed at reversing this trend.

BTP chief constable Andy Trotter said that 2012 had been an 'exceptional year', partly because BTP had made a major contribution to policing the Olympics.

He added: "We have taken care of business as usual and reduced crime for the ninth year in a row. I think that is a very good performance and represents great value for money, particularly in the context of a budget reduction in real terms of 14 per cent since 2008.

“Increases in theft of passenger property, particularly those targeting smartphones and tablets, reflect the growing problem throughout London and the UK.

“We have made great inroads into the problem of cable theft, which has been a major disruption factor on the rail network. This year cable crime was down 47 per cent, building on a 13 per cent reduction last year.”