Train aggression down 15%

In 2013 there were 1,074 cases of aggression on Belgian trains during which inspectors were verbally or physically attacked. This is a decrease of 15 percent compared to two years ago. The addition of more security cameras and extra security personnel are possible reasons for the decline, report Gazet van Antwerpen and Het Belang van Limburg.

According to Jean-Pierre Goossens, general secretary of the rail union ACOD, two years ago the government recruited additional security personnel on the trains and in the stations, an initiative that is now paying off. "Security cameras don’t help much, as trouble-makers will just put a hood over their head and then strike,” he said. “They're more likely to be deterred by extra workers patrolling the area."

In two years’ time, the number of cases of assault decreased by 21%, and the number of verbal threats by 37%. Verbal insults, however, went up by more than 7%. In seven out of 10 cases, the aggression stemmed from a discussion over a valid train ticket.

Last year the lines with the most cases of aggression were Ghent-Brussels, with 94 incidents, Antwerp-Brussels (90) and Brussels South-Brussels North (61).