Crime being committed on TfL network is the highest it has ever been, according to data.
Figures from 2023/2024 show a record number of incidents recorded across Transport for London’s network, with 47,518 crimes being committed during that year.
It was the largest number ever recorded – even surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Where the previous highest seen was 40,876 crimes between 2019/2020.
The record high seen in 2023/2024 is reflective of an overall increase in transport crime. When comparing these figures to a decade ago, we can see an increase of 55.2%.
Siwan Hayward, TfL’s Director of Security, Policing and Enforcement, said: “Millions of journeys are made every day on London’s public transport network without incident and the overall risk of witnessing or experiencing a crime on London’s transport network remains low.
“Reflecting national trends, the risk of being a victim of crime on London Underground is 20 crimes per million passenger journeys made. This remains significantly lower than on the National Rail network.
“We have a programme of action to achieve our ambitious target of reducing the risk of being a victim of crime to fewer than nine crimes for every million journeys by 2030.
“The police continue to focus efforts on tackling highest harm offences, that means all forms of violence against women and girls, serious violence, keeping weapons off the network, robbery, hate crime and work-related violence and aggression.”
According to the TfL, the increase of crime comes down to an increase in reporting of violent crime.
Since 2016 TfL have run the ‘See it. Say it. Sorted’ campaign to encourage commuters to report crime they see on public transport.
Consequently the British Transport Police’s text service has seen a significant increase in usage. Reports have increased more than 8x to 255,088 every year, which directly correlates to the level of reported crime.
In a press release, Lord Peter Hendy, the Rail Minister, said: “‘See it. Say it. Sorted’ isn’t just an earworm that’s been the soundtrack to our trains for nearly a decade now. It’s a really important security and public safety campaign.”
Out of the different forms of transport, the London Underground sees the most crimes committed. It made up for 51.6% of the total number recorded in 2023/2024.
The only other TfL service close to producing a similar level of crime was the bus service.
Between 2023/2024, bus services made up for 39.7% of the recorded crime on the transport network, equating to 18870 incidents.
Notably the second highest behind only the London Underground.
In 2023 the RMT Trade Union wrote to the mayor of London to address unsafe staffing levels on London Underground.
The letter named a number of incidents where stations were significantly understaffed or had no staff whatsoever.
Mick Lynch, then general secretary of RMT wrote: “An increasing number of stations are being opened with a staffing level below that considered to be consistent with passenger safety.”
TfL operational reports show that there has been a significant decline of full time staff in the last decade.
In 2014, 21,184 full time London Underground staff were employed by the TfL.
As of 2024, under 16,146 full-time staff were employed between 272 stations, a drop of 23.7% in the last decade.
I spoke to London Underground worker Albert who has been employed by TfL for 46 years.
Albert told me that crime on the Underground has undoubtedly gotten worse during his tenure and that he believes this is ultimately due to a shortage of staff.
He said: “Crime on the Underground is now a regular thing and we are short of staff, both on the Underground and British Transport Police.
“At times, some stations are operated by only a single person in the control room whilst the supervisor is sent somewhere else.”
Despite the climbing crime rate, there are 125 London Underground stations that are composed of one permanent staff member.
“If you ask anybody, they will tell you staffing is the issue,” said Albert. “We’ve been understaffed for years, at least since the early 90s. A good 30 years.
“We have all these measures and procedures in place and it does save a lot of lives. But more can be saved.”
Feature Image Credit: Ben Matthews
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