HUDDERSFIELD railway station has been recognised as a safe and secure environment for rail passengers and staff.

The historic station, which is managed by train operator First TransPennine Express, has been re-accredited to the government’s Secure Station Scheme.

The station, which is used by almost 5m passengers a year, was measured and assessed by the Department for Transport against a demanding set of criteria.

These included the number of reported crimes compared to the number of customers using the station.

British Transport Police figures show that the station has a ratio of one crime for every 110,233 users – a much lower rate than the prescribed figure of one crime per 20,000 customers.

FTPE police liaison officer Billy Vickers said: “This is really good news for Huddersfield.

“Safety is our number one priority and we will continue to work to improve the station environment for the benefit of customers and staff.”

Safety initiatives at Huddersfield include full CCTV coverage, sponsorship of Police Community Support Officers, platform help points and British Transport Police safety assessments.

FTPE manages 30 stations across the north of England, all of which have been successfully re-accredited to the scheme.

Regular safety audits are conducted in partnership with British Transport Police and £17m has been spent to make FTPE’s stations light, bright and safe environments.

Overall, FTPE has seen a 25% reduction in the level of crime at its stations since 2007-08. The number of crimes at Huddersfield has fallen from 54 in 2005 to 44 in 2011.