TfL Tube crime soars by over 50% fuelled by increase in thefts and robberies

Crime on the London Underground has increased by 56%, including an increase in thefts and robberies, new figures from Transport for London (TfL) reveal.

The latest data showed that there had been 10,836 offences reported between April and September this year, compared with 6,294 over the same period last year.

This includes an 83% increase in thefts, including pickpocketing, to 5,378 offences, and a 107%  increase in robberies, which rose from 164 to 340 offences.

61% of thefts were committed on the train, while 39% took place at stations. The top stations with theft committed at them were King's Cross St Pancras, Leicester Square and  Oxford  Circus.  

The Northern Line had the most thefts committed with 676 offences, followed by the Jubilee Line (544 offences) and the Piccadilly Line (537).

Across all Transport for London services, including the bus network, the London Overground and the Elizabeth line reported crime increased by 30%, from 17,160 to 22,294 offences.

Conservative mayoral candidate Susan Hall, who says she was pickpocketed on the Tube on Monday said: “"Sadiq Khan is responsible for TfL and keeping Londoners safe, but his weak leadership has let crime skyrocket.

"We need change, because Londoners deserve better. As mayor, I'll invest £200 million into policing, get CCTV up and running across the Tube, and make sure commuters feel safe once again in our city.”

Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT union, said: “These soaring crime rates come as no surprise to Tube workers that are on the frontline every day in this increasingly hostile environment.

“RMT has been warning for many years that, instead of an agenda of austerity and constant cutbacks, we need decent staffing levels and investment to ensure a safe and secure transport network for London.”

TfL’s crime report revealed there had been a 50% increase in violence and aggression against Tube staff, up from 431 incidents between April and September last year to 647 incidents in the same period this year.

The Elizabeth line saw an 84% increase to 907 crimes, although TfL said this large rise was forecast due to additional passengers with the full opening of the Elizabeth Line.

Bus crime also rose by 6%, from 8,449 incidents to 8,980. There were more than 4,000 thefts and 2,000 reports of violence between April and September.

A passenger survey conducted by TfL showed that 32% of customers have felt worried about their safety on public transport in the last three months.

While 7% said they had been completely or temporarily deterred from using public transport.

Concerns about threatening behaviours, drunken passengers or crowding remain the most common worrying incidents.

Siwan Hayward, TfL’s director of security, policing and enforcement, said passenger safety was the “top priority” She said: “We have hundreds of police officers and our own enforcement staff patrolling the network at all times of the day.

“We have also been actively promoting the importance of reporting crime, especially crimes that are underreported such as hate crime, sexual offences and harassment and workplace violence and aggression.

“Crime on the TfL network largely reflects national crime trends rising from the lower volumes recorded during the pandemic.”

A spokesperson for the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: "Everyone should feel safe on London's transport network and it is the mayor's priority to ensure the transport network remains a safe and low-crime environment."

They added the figures "reflect national trends which are rising due to the lower volumes recorded during the pandemic".