While the number of railway crimes in Wales is showing a downward trend, the proportion of young people involved in them still remains worrying high according to Network Rail figures revealed last week (Monday 19 Jul 2010).

Latest figures shared by the company show that there were 448 recorded incidents involving young people - around 50% of the total railway crimes in Wales last year.

A large number of them were deliberate acts of trespass and vandalism and south Wales had the highest number of hotspots recorded in the country.

Six out of ten near-misses in Wales involved young people misbehaving on the railway last year and these incidents happened at top hotspots locations including East Usk, Gowerton, St. Fagan and Splott.

Around 171 incidents were reports of items, including bicycles, traffic cones concrete slabs, wheelie bins and trolleys, either being placed or thrown onto the railway line.  Among the more shocking incidents include groups of youths setting fire to a railway bridge and dragging a tree across the railway track.

As the summer holidays begin, Network Rail is encouraging young people to take up more positive activities and not put themselves at risk by misbehaving on the railway.

Alan Milne, community safety manager, Network Rail said: "It’s good to see the number of incidents coming down, but there are still far too many continue to risk their lives by taking a misguided short cut or worse, deliberately messing around on the tracks.

“Unlike cars, trains cannot swerve and can take the length of 20 football pitches to stop. The consequences from railway crimes are serious and we want to prevent them from happening.  While we continue to drive home the message, we will also continue to help young people find more rewarding and exciting ways to spend their free time."

Network Rail’s award-winning No Messin’ campaign, now in it’s fifth year, is seeing some success with a 32% reduction in reported crimes by young people across Britain.*  The No Messin’ campaign, which works with local community groups and clubs across Britain, is fronted by world boxing champion Amir Khan.

Amir Khan spoke of his continued support for the No Messin’ campaign: "Young people need to know that playing chicken or throwing stones at trains won’t get you respect or win you real friends. Working with Network Rail in community clubs, such as St Joseph in Newport, I’ve seen how young people can get a real kick out of learning something new like boxing or other sports and how positive encouragement can steer them off the tracks and onto a better path."

British Transport Police Deputy Chief Constable Paul Crowther said: "BTP officers continue to work closely with Network Rail and train operating companies across the country to educate young people about the dangers of going near the railway line.

"Our message is simple: the railway is not a playground – stay safe and stay out of trouble. Every year we see people risking their lives either by careless actions, such as taking a shortcut across the tracks or by playing on or near the line. Anyone who messes around near the tracks is not only risking a court appearance, they are putting their lives at risk."