TRAIN passengers have a "very low" chance of becoming victims of crime while on the railways in Notts, according to new figures.

British Transport Police and East Midlands Trains say a proactive approach to policing on the rail network in Notts is helping to catch criminals.

It comes after figures released to the Nottingham Post under the Freedom of Information Act show £2.53 million has been spent on policing railways in Notts since 2008.

A total of 160 people were arrested on the railways in Notts in 2009-10, compared with 121 in 2008-09.

The force said the rise was down to efforts to detect crime on the railways, rather than an increase in incidents.

BTP Chief Inspector Dave Oram said: "These figures show that the railway across Notts is a very safe environment and the chances of becoming a victim of crime are very low.

"Passengers and rail staff rightly expect a safe and secure rail network and we will continue working hard to carry on delivering a safer travelling environment for all."

British Transport Police has 36 officers based at Nottingham who patrol an area covering Shirebrook, Long Eaton, Newark and towards Loughborough. A further six conduct neighbourhood policing on the Robin Hood Line.

The force's operations in 2010-11 cost £680,000. Crime prevention efforts last month included setting up a knife-metal detector arch at Nottingham station for 24 hours to catch passengers carrying knives.

The force also launched Operation Nightowl to combat antisocial behaviour.

Mr Oram said: "Our officers, along with security staff employed by East Midlands Trains, will continue to ensure that there is an increased uniform visibility and approachability throughout the areas in which they operate, and will also act as a further deterrent to criminals."

An East Midlands Trains spokesman said: "We take the safety and security of our passengers and staff very seriously and we will continue to work with the British Transport Police to reduce levels of crime across our network.

"We are in the process of a £15 million train refurbishment programme which will see CCTV installed on our local services around Notts for the very first time. Once complete, this will mean every East Midlands Trains' service in the region will have on board CCTV.

"This will complement the CCTV in place at Nottingham station and will enable us to work with the BTP to quickly apprehend any offenders.

"Thanks to the efforts of our station and security staff at Nottingham, our on train teams and our colleagues in the BTP, instances of crime on our network in Notts do remain relatively low."

Arrest figures do not include records of offenders who have been cautioned, summonsed, reprimanded, or issued with penalty notices. Under that system the BTP has carried out 92 arrests in 2010-11.

The force has also introduced a new way of including all the extra data.

The new figures, including offenders who have been cautioned, summonsed, reprimanded, or issued with penalty notices, show the force carried out 456 arrests in Notts between April 1 and December 16 last year.

There were 242 arrests in Leicestershire, 233 in Derbyshire, 128 in Lincolnshire and 99 in Northamptonshire during the same period.