London transport crime lowest ever

New annual crime figures from the Metropolitan Police Service and British Transport Police (BTP) show that crime on TfL’s transport system fell 11.3% compared to the year before. The figures cover 2013/14 (1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014). They show there are now 7.7 crimes per million passenger journeys on the transport system, down from 8.9 in 2012/13. The year also saw record passenger numbers on Underground and the city’s buses. The reduction also means that the rate of crime for London Underground, Docklands Light Railway, London Tramlink, London Overground and buses remain at their lowest level since recording began.

Crime on the bus network has continued to fall every year for the last eight years, with 7.5 crimes per million passenger journeys in 2013/14, down from 8.6 in 2012/13. This is less than half the crime rate in 2007/8 when levels were at a rate of 15.2 crimes per million passenger journeys. TfL claims these statistics reflect the continuing work it and its policing partners carry out to improve transport safety and security. This year the capital’s transport authority, the Metropolitan Police Service and the British Transport Police launched Project Guardian to raise public awareness of unwanted sexual behaviour on the transport network.