Statement by Chief Superintendent Chris Casey

Chief Superintendent Chris Casey said: “We understand concerns arising from the data released today showing an increase in offences on the London Underground and elsewhere in London. The public’s safety is our number one priority, and we are working tirelessly to ensure passengers can travel safely and in comfort.

"Every offence is one too many and while we share the concern people may understandably feel at the increase of some crimes, it is important to understand these figures within their context. High harm crime such as robbery and assault remain low at only 2.2 incidents per million passenger journeys. Additionally, arrest rates for theft are continuing to increase and we have seen a decrease in robbery on the London transport network of 8.5 %. Stop and Search is also at its highest use at BTP since 2010-11, with a 50% positive find rate in the last nine months, up 4% on the previous year and 6% the year before that. Last year (2023-2024) also saw an increase of 15% in arrests for violence resulting in injuries, compared to the previous year in England and Wales.

“We use a variety of tactics to ensure journeys remain safe including uniformed and plain clothes patrols as well as regular highly visible operations at key stations across the rail network to disrupt and discourage criminal activity. We have access to thousands of CCTV cameras and work closely with our colleagues from the Metropolitan Police and security staff from TfL and rail operators.

“Passengers are encouraged to save BTP’s 61016 text-to-report number in their phones and report anything they witness that seems suspicious or unusual. If a crime has just happened, always call 999. Officers can deploy immediately to the location and begin enquiries to trace the offenders.”