Rail security to be reviewed after train stabbings

Following a mass stabbing on a train, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has said there will be a review of rail safety in the United Kingdom. Since the knife assault on a Doncaster to London service on Saturday night, a man was charged with ten counts of attempted murder. Alexander told the BBC that the government will review security policies and respond

swiftly and in a proportionate manner. However, she did not agree that airport scanning technology

is the right option for stations in the United Kingdom.

In the House of Commons on Monday afternoon, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is set to make a statement about the assault on MPs. Following the beating of passengers with a knife by a black British national who boarded a train at Peterborough station, there have been concerns regarding passenger security on the UK's rail network. Eleven people were hospitalized, including a member of train employees who is said to be in a

critical but stable state. According to British Transport Police (BTP), Anthony Williams, 32, of Peterborough, has been charged with ten counts of attempted murder, one count of actual bodily harm, and one count for possession of a bladed . Following what happened, Alexander told BBC Breakfast that BTP officers would increase visible patrols at mainline stations over the next days

because I do know that people will want to be reassured following what happened.

Fortunately, incidents like this on the public transport network are extremely rare,

she said. The rail network in the United Kingdom was a low crime environment, she said, and only 27 criminal attacks were committed out of every one million passenger journey. When asked what steps the government will take to improve train security, she replied:

We're investing in improved CCTV in stations, and the Home Office will shortly hold a study on new facial recognition systems that may be used in stations.

I was asked about luggage scanners similar to those used in some major train stations abroad, she said: "At the time, I don't think this is the right option for stations in the United Kingdom.

'Real concerns'

Former British Transport Chief Constable Andy Trotter told BBC Breakfast on Saturday that

people's genuine concerns about being trapped with an perpetrator or someone causing violence are illustrated.

I hope this leads to a broader study of safety, the need for more British Transport Police, and the need to have more guards from the rail companies themselves.

Shoulder home secretary Chris Philp told BBC Radio 4's Today show that he was calling for

a dramatic rise in the use of stop and search to get knives off the streets and possibly avoid attacks like the one on the train.

Irrelevant if there was an indication of suspicion

when asked why the perpetrator in Saturday's stabbing should have been intercepted and searched before boarding the train when only his age, gender, and ethnicity were known,the detective said.But in high-crime hotspot areas, there should really be a halt and search carried out without suspicion,he said.categorically not saying that

when asked if he was suggesting that the man be arrested and searched solely based on the color of his skin.

Average in the world,

the Conservative government in 2024 referred to England and Wales' knife crime policies as

already one of the toughest in the country.

We need to go further with tougher knife crime rules, with more stop and search, and the use of advanced facial recognition to identify suspected criminals and dangerous individuals so they can be arrested,

the author said.

I would not like to see increased security at train stations,

senior Reform UK politician Zia Yusuf said on Sunday. It will cause enormous conflict in the lives of law-abiding people

as a result of a tiny minority's behavior, according to the BBC's Sunday. He called for a significant rise in the use of stop-and-search technologies

to saturation," saying that this would eliminate deadly weapons from circulation. There is no single knife crime statistics source in the United Kingdom, but according to the latest estimates, published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there were 527 offences in both countries in the year and Wales from June 2025. However, these statistics show that knife crime is down by 5% year on year and 7% compared to five years ago. In the latest year, murders involving a knife hit by nearly a fifth, down nearly 6% to 196 charges, down from 239 last year.