Crime across London’s transport network has dropped to its lowest level, according to the latest figures, but violence on the Underground is on the increase.
New annual data from the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and British Transport Police shows crime across Transport for London’s (TfL’s) network dropped in total by 2.3 per cent compared to last year.
Some 802 fewer offences were recorded between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013 compared to the previous 12 months across buses, London Underground and Docklands Light Railway, Tramlink and London Overground.
In 2012/13 there were 8.9 crimes per million passenger journeys, down from 9.4 in 2011/12.
The figures show that violence on the London Underground and Docklands Light Railway has increased. There were 1,897 instances of violence on the Tube in 2012/13, compared with 1,792 the year before.
London Underground and Docklands Light Railway saw crime rise by 5.7 per cent year-on-year but remains at its lowest-ever level at 9.6 crimes per million passenger journeys. London Overground also saw an increase in crime of 18.3 per cent but the rate remains low at just 6.7 crimes per million passenger journeys.
Cases of theft on the Underground were also shown to be on the rise, from 6,021 in 2011/12 to 7,282 in 2012/13.
Across the whole London transport network, however, robbery was down 17.6 per cent, criminal damage dropped by 15.7 per cent and violence reduced by 6.8 per cent.
There were 8.6 crimes per million passenger journeys in 2012/13 on the bus network, down from 9.3 in 2011/12 and less than half than the peak in 2005/6, where the rate was 21.6 crimes per million passenger journeys.
Siwan Hayward, Acting Director Community, Safety and Enforcement, Policing at TfL said: “Our transport network continues to be a safe, low crime environment.
“Despite this we are not complacent and are putting in measures to effectively deal with the rise in theft on some modes of the network.
“We want all users of our services to travel safely and with confidence and we will continue to work with our transport policing partners to ensure the network remains safe.”
Commander Adrian Hanstock, MPS Safer Transport Command, claimed the drop in transport-related crime is down to a “programme of patrols and intelligence-led operations” which is on-going to continue to create a safe environment for the public.
