Request ID: FOI-1791-2122 Date published: 10 December 2021
You asked
How many incidents of all abuse against TfL staff there have been by passengers or members of the public
If it is possible within the time limit, I would like this data broken down by:
• The tube station/line or bus/tram route/bus stop in which the abusive incident took place
• The nature of the abuse where known (by 'nature of the assault' I mean clarification on whether the incident was physical, verbal, sexual or other)
• And the reason for the abuse (by this I mean, failure to pay, not wearing a mask or another reason recorded)
If you do not record the data by any of the above please share the most similar you do record by.
Please could you break this down by month for the last 5 years. If you are unable to provide 5 months of data, please provide 3 years, otherwise please provide data for the last 2 years.
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-1791-2122
Thank you for your request received on 12 November 2021 asking for information about abuse against TfL staff.
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.
TfL 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. TfL takes workplace violence extremely seriously and always encourages 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.
A specialist unit within TfL works with both the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and British Transport Police (BTP) police services to investigate crimes against staff. This Workplace Violence and Aggression (WVA) Team support 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. Their purpose is to improve the quality of staff assault investigation and provide feedback to police and other criminal justice partners, as well as improve victim care and support provided by TfL.
The objective of this work is to encourage staff to report every incident, and over the last five years the WVA team have proactively engaged with TfL staff across all types of transport to demonstrate the benefits of reporting. We have also rolled out the use of body won cameras - 4,500 body worn cameras for staff have been in operation across the TfL network since the end of 2020 to help reduce workplace violence.
Please find the requested information attached. Please note that TfL has only collected accurate data since April 2020.
We do not hold Trams data broken down by route. We only hold data on incidents on Trams if they are reported to the BTP, and these do not routinely include the Tram Route number, unless it is relevant to the investigation.
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for some reason, 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
