DOZENS of offences have been reported as having happened on trains and at railway stations in Wrexham over recent years, according to figures.

Freedom of Information data obtained by the Leader reveal the number of offences and crimes taking place at such locations across the county each year since the beginning of 2017.

According to the figures, a total of 38 offences have been reported across that time - constituting 46 crimes.

British Transport Police confirmed that 'offence' under the dataset refers to the type, such as theft, assault occasioning Actual Bodily Harm, public order.

However, there may be more than one 'crime' counted for an individual offence - for example there many have been more than one victim to the same offence, therefore the count of crimes would be based on the number of victims listed against one offence.

The year with the highest number of offences recorded was 2018, with 11 in total.

This was followed by 2017 and 2019 - both having 10 - then 2021 to date with four offences and then 2020 with just three.

In terms of crimes recorded, the highest years were 2018 and 2019 - with 13 recorded each year.

These were followed by 2017 with 12 crimes, then 2020 and 2021 to date with four per year.

The data also confirmed the most common offence types for each of the years up to 2020;

2017: Theft- pedal cycle and assault occasioning actual bodily harm

2018: common assault/battery with no injury and public order (causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress)

2019: common assault/battery with no injury and sexual offences (committing an act outraging public decency)

2020: Cannabis possession

British Transport Police Inspector Karl Anderson said: “We work tirelessly to deter criminality and anti-social behaviour on the network – thankfully the chance of becoming a victim of crime on the railway in North Wales remains extremely low.

“Passengers and rail staff should be reassured that we take positive and firm action against trouble makers. As events return and footfall increases, we will continue to provide a highly visible presence on trains and at stations to prevent any potential rise in anti-social behaviour.

"We want everyone to know that they can text us discreetly on 61016, whether something is happening to you at the time or has happened to you recently. Our control room can dispatch officers to a location if required or put you in touch with an officer to speak at a convenient time. Save 61016 in your phone, so you have the number to hand should you ever need us. Nothing is too small or trivial. Alternatively, you can call us on 0800 40 50 40. In an emergency, always dial 999.”