Suicide data
Request ID: FOI-0056-2021
Date published: 06 May 2020
You asked
Would it be possible if you could give me some updates on the figures you have published on your site in regards to the suicide rates.
On your site you say figures are recorded by financial year rather than calendar year. The number given for the current financial year, 2018/19 is up to the end of January.
Would it be possible to get the data on the amount of suicides for the following months please.
January 2019
February 2019
March 2019
April 2019
May 2019
June 2019
July 2019
August 2019
September 2019
October 2019
November 2019
December 2019
January 2020
February 2020
March 2020
April 2020
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-0056-2021
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 9th April 2020 asking for suicide data by month.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.
Specifically you asked:
“Would it be possible if you could give me some updates on the figures you have published on your site in regards to the suicide rates.
On your site you say figures are recorded by financial year rather than calendar year. The number given for the current financial year, 2018/19 is up to the end of January.
Would it be possible to get the data on the amount of suicides for the following months please.
January 2019
February 2019
March 2019
April 2019
May 2019
June 2019
July 2019
August 2019
September 2019
October 2019
November 2019
December 2019
January 2020
February 2020
March 2020
April 2020.”
I can confirm that we hold the information you require. TfL reports over a 4-week period rather than by calendar month. The data for all periods in 2018/19 and 2019/20 are shown in the table below. Period 1 begins on 1st April with period 13 ending on 31st March. We record these incidents as ‘attempted suicides’, and the data includes fatal and non-fatal incidences (as we do not always know whether a suspected suicide attempt was fatal or not).
|
18/19
|
19/20
|
|
Period 1
|
2
|
2
|
|
P2
|
7
|
4
|
|
P3
|
3
|
2
|
|
P4
|
6
|
3
|
|
P5
|
8
|
3
|
|
P6
|
5
|
4
|
|
P7
|
3
|
6
|
|
P8
|
2
|
1
|
|
P9
|
4
|
5
|
|
P10
|
3
|
4
|
|
P11
|
5
|
2
|
|
P12
|
6
|
6
|
|
P13
|
2
|
3
|
|
TOTAL:
|
56
|
45
|
Note that the Tube can support over five million customer journeys per day. Our first priority is the safety of all our customers, staff and others travelling or working on our network. We provide training to our staff on how to identify and give the appropriate support to any customers who appear to be in distress or who are acting in a way which would identify them as high risk of suicide. We have worked closely with mental health organisations on developing training material to give staff even more knowledge about the signs to look out for and the confidence to intervene. We also work with Network Rail and other train operating companies to share information and approaches to managing incidents of suicide on the railway.
The Samaritans provide support for people affected by suicide or who may be having suicidal thoughts. They advise “We're here round the clock, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you need a response immediately, it's best to call us on the phone. This number is FREE to call. You don't have to be suicidal to call us.”
We also work closely with the British Transport Police (BTP) and the emergency services to ensure a coordinated response to incidents. We have introduced a ‘blue light’ response for the Emergency Response Unit with a police driver supplied by the BTP. We also have the Network Incident Response Team which includes a BTP Police Medical Officer with a LU Network Incident Response Manager.
Additionally, there has been a notable improvement in medical intervention in these cases which enables paramedic first aid to be given on site and enhance the survival rate.
If this is not the information you are looking for please do not hesitate to contact me.
On a more general matter, please note that the Government has announced a series of measures to tackle the Coronavirus. It is essential for London, and in particular for all critical workers, that we continue to provide a safe transport network that enables them to make the journeys they need to.
In current circumstances, we are not able to answer FOI requests readily and we ask that you please do not make a request to us at present.
Answering FOI requests will require the use of limited resources and the attention of staff who could be supporting other essential activity. In any event, please note that our response time will be affected by the current situation.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely,
David Wells
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
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