Rail passengers in West Yorkshire can report incidents to police by text message for the first time.
It follows the launch of a new non-emergency text number by British Transport Police (BTP).
There were more than 5,800 incidents reported on the railways in the Leeds and Bradford area last year – the highest number of any part of the north-east region, covering Newcastle to Nottingham.
The new number – 61016 – is designed for low level, non-emergency incidents like anti-social behaviour.
Chief Superintendent Terry Nicholson, north east area commander for BTP, said: “Low level anti-social behaviour, which we know occurs on trains often later at night and when people have been drinking, is undoubtedly under-reported.
“Passengers tend to accept or ignore the minority who make the journeys unpleasant for everyone else.
“We hope that the ease of being able to send a quick text message will encourage more passengers to report incidents when they occur.”
The service will be monitored around the clock and could result in a policing response if needed.
David Sidebottom, BTP’s passenger focus director, said: “Passengers will welcome this initiative as it will provide them with an easy way to highlight the problems they come across.”
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