LU Suicide Data
Request ID: FOI-1607-1819
Date published: 10 October 2018
You asked
Revised request following 1428-1819:
Please could you provide data on the number of suicide and attempted suicide incidents since January 1 2011 to the present date, per month, and – where possible – on which line.
The name of the station is not needed.
Please also feel free to include any details of what training is offered to TfL staff in dealing with such a situation, including how that advice may have changed in recent years (if it has).
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-1607-1819
Thank you for your request received on 13 September 2018 asking for information about suicide and attempted suicide incidents on London Underground.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm we hold some of the information you require, however this specific data is available only from 2014/15 onwards. You asked:
Please could you provide data on the number of suicide and attempted suicide incidents since January 1 2011 to the present date, per month, and – where possible – on which line.
The name of the station is not needed.
Please find the requested information in the tables below:
|
Period
|
|
Total per Period
|
|
14/15
|
15/16
|
16/17
|
17/18
|
18/19
|
|
P01
|
3
|
3
|
6
|
8
|
3
|
23
|
|
P02
|
0
|
5
|
5
|
8
|
12
|
30
|
|
P03
|
2
|
7
|
3
|
7
|
4
|
23
|
|
P04
|
3
|
6
|
5
|
6
|
4
|
24
|
|
P05
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
5
|
8
|
19
|
|
P06
|
1
|
4
|
4
|
5
|
4
|
18
|
|
P07
|
6
|
2
|
5
|
3
|
1
|
17
|
|
P08
|
5
|
0
|
5
|
2
|
|
12
|
|
P09
|
4
|
2
|
4
|
7
|
|
17
|
|
P10
|
2
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
|
11
|
|
P11
|
2
|
3
|
3
|
6
|
|
14
|
|
P12
|
1
|
0
|
7
|
5
|
|
13
|
|
P13
|
5
|
2
|
2
|
8
|
|
17
|
|
TOTAL:
|
36
|
40
|
54
|
72
|
36
|
238
|
Please note this is recorded by financial year rather than calendar year.
We record these incidents as ‘persons under train’, as it is only the Coroner who has the authority to determine whether it was a suicide or not. We also do not always know whether a suspected suicide was fatal or not. However these figures are all ‘Persons Under Trains’ (PUTS) that were deemed suicides AND suicide attempts (those that made it trackside but weren’t hit by a train and therefore were not stopped / prevented).
We conclude incidents as being suicides / attempted suicides by conducting a CCTV review immediately alongside the British Transport Police (BTP) who determine the incident to be either a non-suspicious / deliberate act (suicide) or a non-deliberate / suspicious act (accident or malicious by a third party (push)). The data we then have differentiates the suicides / attempted suicides, to those of an accidental / crime scene nature.
Further information detailing these specific incidents by line is not currently available.
Please also feel free to include any details of what training is offered to TfL staff in dealing with such a situation, including how that advice may have changed in recent years (if it has).
The Tube supports nearly 5 million customer journeys per day. In 2017/18 a total of 1.36 billion passenger journeys were made and our transport network carried more passengers than ever before. 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 mental/emotional distress or who are acting in a way which would identify them as high risk of suicide. We have worked closely with the Samaritans 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.
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.
We have also recently started training for station staff with a training provider to deliver key information to staff with the tools, confidence and knowledge on how to intervene and what to do. Things include spotting vulnerable signs and behaviours, tailored to our operational environment and equipping staff with response tactics to support the individual concerned.
If this is not the information you are looking for please feel free 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
[email protected]
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