MONTREAL-- Commuting through Montreal’s underground is getting safer -- a new police report  found a 20 per cent decrease in criminal activity within the city’s metro system.

That said, police have also found that some stations have seen crime rates on the rise.

Berri-UQAM topped the list as Montreal’s most dangerous hub, with 417 criminal incidents recorded last year. Lionel-Groulx, Place des Arts and McGill stations also tallied notably high levels of criminal activity.

Police say that most of the incidents reported underground are thefts, intimidation and actsof graffiti. They noted that smart phones have proven to be especially desirable to underground thieves.

Forty per cent of the crimes reported in the metro happened on the green line, whereas 25 per cent took place on the orange line.

In an effort to better the situation, Montreal police have targeted high-risk stations. Each day there are more than 130 police officers working to patrol the city’s underground.

Despite their efforts, smaller stations like Cote-des-Neiges and Plamondon have seen a marked increase in crime, which may suggest that criminals have responded by targeting less patrolled areas.

While the police’s findings demonstrate an overall decrease in crime, a Societe de Transport de Montreal union fears the downward trend might be at risk of reversal.

The union says its employees serve as the public's first line of defense. Considering this, they're worried that with 10 service booths set to be shut down and replaced by automated ticket machines – crime underground could go back up.

“They're proud to say crime is going down - great - take away an employee and I think crime will go up, won't it? “ said Renato Carlone of the STM metro worker's union, noting that security cameras are only helpful once a crime has already been committed.

“A changeur, part of his day is to anticipate and to intervene in these situations -- and he sees it on a regular basis,” Carlone explained. “Sometimes just knocking on the window and saying ‘Hey stop it!’-- the guy turns around and stops.”

Police recommend that anyone riding the metro should make an effort to keep their eyes and ears open, and bags close and closed.