Request ID: FOI-0749-2425 Date published: 26 June 2024
You asked
Please could I request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act:
- The number of incidents recorded over the last five years (including 2024, where possible) of abuse against rail staff.
To clarify, by abuse, I refer to acts of violence, aggression or threatening behaviour towards rail staff.
If possible, could I have a percentage breakdown of the nature of these abusive incidents, please? For example, the percentage of incidents that were recorded as comprising "sexist threats or threatening behaviour".
Clarification:
To clarify, by "rail staff" please can I be provided with the information for all staff including London Underground, London Overground, TfL Rail / Elizabeth line, and the DLR. If it is possible to provide the data (broken down for each year since 2020) by service, that would be great. However, if this exceeds cost or time limits then please could I have the figure as a whole?
Thank you for clarifying that you classify all reports by physical, threat, verbal and gesture abuse. To confirm, this is the information I am looking for. If you were able to break down the data provided by physical, threat, verbal and gesture abuse that would be greatly appreciated.
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-0749-2425
Thank you for your request received on 4 June 2024 asking for information about incidents of abuse against rail staff. Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. Our staff work hard to serve the millions of customers who use the transport network every day and have the right to go about their work without fear or intimidation. We take workplace violence extremely seriously and know that it is underreported, so always encourage staff to report any instance of abuse whether physical or non-physical so that preventative measures can be taken, and the strongest penalties brought against offenders. We have very recently mandated body-worn cameras for all frontline customer facing roles to be used as standard kit as they are proving to reduce the risk of assaults. We also fund a team of enforcement officers who were introduced to support frontline staff and tackle workplace violence. A specialist unit within TfL works with both the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and British Transport Police (BTP) to investigate crimes against staff. The Workplace Violence and Aggression (WVA) Team supports staff and their managers, and assists the Police in the investigation of physical assault and verbal aggression against our staff, which can include public order offences and hate crime. Its purpose is to improve the quality of staff assault investigation and provide feedback to police and other criminal justice partners, as well as improve the victim care and support we provide. You asked for: The number of incidents recorded over the last five years (including 2024, where possible) of abuse against rail staff. To clarify, by abuse, I refer to acts of violence, aggression or threatening behaviour towards rail staff. Please find the requested information below. Please note that we only hold this information from April 2020. The 2024 data is up to May 2024.
Incident Classification
Mode
Physical
Threat
Verbal & Gesture
Total
2020
LU
101
405
1316
1822
LO
19
40
45
104
TfL Rail/EL*
32
42
86
160
DLR
6
4
5
15
Trams
4
0
3
7
2021
LU
414
870
2475
3759
LO
37
59
58
154
TFL Rail/EL*
65
85
111
261
DLR
18
18
21
57
Trams
7
8
7
22
2022
LU
714
1117
3610
5441
LO
64
85
98
247
TFL Rail/EL*
96
77
160
333
DLR
44
42
92
178
Trams
22
22
18
62
2023
LU
830
1122
2854
4806
LO
74
87
71
232
TFL Rail/EL*
123
125
197
445
DLR
43
49
90
182
Trams
20
13
15
48
2024
LU
313
482
1095
1890
LO
32
23
30
85
TFL Rail/EL*
42
53
76
171
DLR
12
14
79
105
Trams
5
3
1
9
*Elizabeth Line If this is not the information you are looking for please do not hesitate to contact me. Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal. Yours sincerely
Gemma Jacob Senior FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
