London railway robbery rates drop by 18% following intensified police activity

Robbery on the railway network in London dropped by 18% last year (24/25) from the year before (23/34), following a year of intensified operational activity by British Transport Police (BTP).

Following a noticeable rise in reports of robberies on the London railway network, including the London Underground, and across the country in 2023, BTP took action by increasing resources to tackle the increasing crime.

Between April 2023 and March 2024, 1527 robberies were recorded as having occurred on trains or in stations in London. Between April 2024 and March 2025, this dropped by nearly 20% to 1245. This for every million passenger journeys in London, there was less than one robbery.

Over the past year, BTP engaged in dozens of operations across London alongside hundreds of plain clothed and uniformed patrols on trains and in stations, closely working with policing partners and our partners in the railway industry.

These deployments, often utilising specialist assets such as knife arches and search dogs, took place across a range of locations across London. The deployments use data and statistics to ensure they occur where they were most needed and will continue to take place.

During a surge of anti-robbery operations and patrols starting in September 2024 dubbed Op Invert, 591 were stopped and searched with 324 of those resulting in officers finding illegal substances, weapons, or stolen goods.

Ahead of the anticipated trend of increasing reports of robbery offences during the winter months, BTP introduced the ‘Grip team’, detectives who became responsible for progressing fast enquiries into robbery, as well as sexual offences, within Inner London as soon as offences are reported.  

Rather than individual cases being assigned to a detective to manage and investigate, cases are passed between officers working morning, evening, and night shifts, from the outset to ensure all lines of inquiry can be addressed at a faster pace by dedicated officers.

Working closely with CCTV and intelligence teams focusing on identifying people linked to multiple robbery offences and hotspots of criminal activity, the Grip team are making arrests for robbery and sexual offences at a significantly faster pace, leading to a decrease in robbery offences following its introduction.

The average time taken to arrest someone identified as being involved in a robbery has dropped by two thirds, leading to fewer incidents of robbery as criminal activity is disrupted.

Those arrested over the year includes Teddy Kelt, 20, and of Heaton Close in Romford, who is due to appear at Inner London Crown Court on 4 August 2025 after being charged with several counts of robbery and attempted robbery.

Also arrested was Jayden Gambrah, 18, and of Lees Road in Uxbridge, who is due to appear at Highbury Magistrates Court on 24 April after being charged with ten counts of robbery alongside multiple possession of bladed article offences.

Chief Superintendent Chris Casey said: “The public’s safety is our number one priority, and we are extremely pleased to see the significant drop in robbery offences on the railway network over the past year.

“Data in 2023 showed a large increase in robbery offences on the railway network, so we put a robust plan in place to make the railway a more hostile environment for those intent on this criminality.

“I’m extremely proud of the work of our proactive patrols and of the Grip team since their introduction, with their work in identifying robbery suspects is making a huge difference in our fight against robbery and criminality on the railway network.

“We recognise there is still plenty of work to be done - every instance of robbery is one too many, so the public will continue to see regular patrols of uniformed officers alongside our specially trained plain-clothed officers to detect and deter robbery.

“Robbery offences will never be tolerated on the railway, and we are committed to ensuring the railway is a safe and secure environment for everyone.

“We encourage all passengers who see or experience crime to report it to us so we can take action. You can discreetly report incidents to us by texting 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40. In an emergency, always call 999.”