Questions concerning crime, safety and security have become and continue to be a hot topic in many western European countries with Belgium being no exception. A number of high profile incidents, although atypical in their severity, have focused attention on problems of violence and aggression on public transport in Belgium. As part of a wider research project aiming to improve knowledge of violent incidents in this area from the offender’s perspective and thus contribute to their prevention, this article explores a number of related questions. What is the extent of the violent crime problem on the Belgian public transport system? Are there differing forms of violence on public transport and if so, must we search for differing etiological explanations? Does academic literature and criminological theory provide us with any helpful explanations as to the causal factors – both personal and situational – for violence committed in the public transport arena? In light of the above, will situationally based crime prevention initiatives prove sufficient to address the problems of violent crime
on public transport or do we need to complement them with other types of intervention?