I want a freedom of information request to know how many thefts on London Transport daily monthly and yearly. How many TFL stations in London are making announcements about pickpockets informing members of the public to secure their belongings, and the frequency of these announcements and how many posters are they are around the network warning the public about this, how many posters about this on buses, DLR etc as I have never seen any. I want the exact number please.

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TfL Ref: FOI-1971-1920

Thank you for your two recent Freedom of Information requests asking for information about thefts on Transport for London services.

Your requests have been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.

Specifically you asked:

“I want a freedom of information request to know how many thefts on London Transport daily monthly and yearly.”

And;

“I would like a freedom of information request (another one) letting me know how many TFL stations in London are making announcements about pickpockets informing members of the public to secure their belongings, and the frequency of these announcements and how many posters are they are around the network warning the public about this, how many posters about this on buses, DLR etc as I have never seen any. I want the exact number please.”

I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. In relation to your first question, data on thefts on TfL services can be found in our “Crime and Incident bulletins”, which are published on our website here:

https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/crime-and-incident-bulletins

For example, the latest such bulletin - http://content.tfl.gov.uk/tfl-crime-and-antisocial-behaviour-bulletin-q1-1920.pdf - (for Quarter 1, 2019/20) includes a table on page 6 showing the number of thefts per year going back to 2015/16. Monthly and daily averages can be calculated by dividing the annual figures by 12 and 365 respectively. Note that the table on page 7 of the same report shows the number of thefts by quarter by each mode of transport, going back to the beginning of Quarter 1 2018/19, and a more detailed breakdown of crime by mode of transport begins on page 13.

You may also be interested in the latest annual bulletin, covering the year 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019, published on the same section of the website (see here: http://content.tfl.gov.uk/crime-statistics-bulletin-1819.pdf).

In accordance with section 21 of the FOI Act, we are not obliged to supply you with a copy of the requested information as it is already accessible to you elsewhere.

In relation to your second set of questions, TfL does not hold the requested information. We do not record the specific locations or frequency of announcements made at stations, nor the number of posters that are displayed across the network.

It should be noted that for every one million passenger journeys on our public transport networks there are only ten reported crimes. That said, we are aware that incidents of theft have risen across our networks. The rise can in part be explained by the British Transport Police (BTP) launching its online crime reporting in October 2018 which means that the force are now recording offences which may previously have gone unreported. We also know that our public transport networks are being targeted by prolific thieves working as part of organised criminal networks. The police are using a range of tactics to deter, detect and disrupt their activity including plain clothed and uniformed officer patrols, large scale operations and investigations. We fund thousands of police on our network and have been supporting this significant police effort by promoting crime prevention advice to our customers and working closely with them to share knowledge and intelligence. A recent theft week of action between TfL and the police resulted in 48 arrests, with uniformed and plain clothes officers deployed in order to reassure the public and deter and detect crime. We are committed to continuing our work with the police to ensure that our public transport networks are safe places to travel.

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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