The number of violent crimes recorded on Britain’s railways rose by 16% last year, official statistics show.

In 2018-19, there were 13,591 such offences – including attempted murder and serious and common assault – compared with 11,671 in the previous year.

The British Transport Police (BTP), which published the figures, said preventing serious violence and knife crime on the rail network remained one of its highest priorities.

There was also a significant rise in all crimes, with 68,313 offences recorded between 1 April last year and 31 March 2019 – a 12% increase on 2017-18.

Adrian Hanstock, the deputy chief constable of the BTP, said the record number of passengers using the railways was behind the jump in crime rates.

Theft, antisocial behaviour and shoplifting accounted for a large proportion of the overall increase “as stations become increasingly commercial environments”, he added.

“Despite this increase, when put into context it is important to remember that the chance of becoming a victim of crime on the railway is very low,” Hanstock said. “Of course, any rise in crime is of concern to us and we are tackling this head on through our problem-solving initiatives at key locations.”

The largest share of overall offences was recorded by BTP’s north of England division, where there were 27,377 offences last year. The division also had the largest number of recorded violent crimes in 2018-19, at 5,729.

There were six homicides on British railways in 2018-19, including the murder of Lee Pomeroy, 51, who was stabbed to death after an argument on a train.

The force also reported a surge in the number of vulnerable people it dealt with, including through providing mental health support. Officers and rail staff performed 2,529 lifesaving interventions, up 32% on the year before.

Hanstock said: “It is troubling that the railway still attracts those in mental health crisis. Officers and rail staff work incredibly hard to safeguard those with vulnerabilities and help them access the most appropriate care and support.”

He noted that “county lines” drug trafficking was of particular concern to the force. He said: “We’ve set up dedicated teams to oversee this important area of safeguarding, sharing valuable intelligence with our national partners, including the National Crime Agency.

“As a result of our close collaboration with other law enforcement partners, large quantities of drugs have been seized and, importantly, a number of vulnerable youngsters have been protected from these toxic criminal networks.”