Request ID: FOI-2539-2122 Date published: 01 March 2022
You asked
Dear Transport for London,
I am writing to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to request the following information. Please may you provide me with:
1. The number of instances of sexual harassment that were reported on the night bus routes in 2021 (month by month breakdown).
2. The number of instances of sexual harassment that were reported on the night London overground in 2021 (month by month breakdown).
3. The number of instances of sexual harassment that were reported on the night tube from when it re-opened in 2021 until now (month by month breakdown).
If breaking down this information into categories of bus/tube/overground is not possible, please can I have the information for reports of sexual harassment on all night-time public transport in 2021 (month by month breakdown).
If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section 12, please provide advice and assistance, under Section 16 obligations of the Act, as to how I can refine my request.
We answered
TfL Ref: 2539-2122
Thank you for your request received by us on 2 February 2022 asking for information about night time public transport services in 2021.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold the information you require. You asked for:
The number of instances of sexual harassment that were reported on the night bus routes in 2021 (month by month breakdown).
The number of instances of sexual harassment that were reported on the night London overground in 2021 (month by month breakdown)
3. The number of instances of sexual harassment that were reported on the night tube from when it re- opened in 2021 until now (month by month breakdown).
If breaking down this information into categories of bus/tube/overground is not possible, please can I have the information for reports of sexual harassment on all night-time public transport in 2021 (month by month breakdown).
London’s transport network is a safe, low-crime network. Millions of passengers travel on it every day, with very few of them ever experiencing or witnessing crime. We fund more than 2,500 officers across the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), British Transport Police (BTP) and the City of London Police (CoLP). They police the network to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour, and make customers feel safer when travelling.
Station call points are available on all platforms and some ticket halls – these will connect to the local station supervisor. On-station publicity advertises 999/111 for reporting of security critical incidents to the BTP. We also have BTP officers across the network during Night Tube services including a number of stations where there are always dedicated officers.
TfL, in partnership with the Rail Delivery Group and their transport policing colleagues, recently launched a campaign that unwanted sexual behaviour is not acceptable on the transport network and to encourage reporting.
We are working hard to create a culture where sexual harassment is not tolerated, and that’s why we are emphasising the importance of reporting any behaviour that makes its customers feel uncomfortable. We recently launched our ‘zero tolerance to sexual harassment’ campaign, in partnership with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) and the police, and is one part of a programme of activity to stop sexual harassment on the network. In addition to this we are working closely with the police to make the transport network a hostile place for offenders, not for women and girls. Plain clothes and uniformed police and TfL enforcement officers are patrolling the network to identify and take action against offenders. Improving the reporting of incidents is really important not just to bring offenders to justice but also to inform our prevention and policing activity.
The campaign is primarily aimed at offenders, who are predominantly men, calling out these behaviours as sexual harassment and emphasising our zero tolerance approach. The campaign including posters and leaflets contain important information about reporting those experiences, both for those who experience it, but also for bystanders. To achieve a change in the culture around sexual harassment, it’s important that bystanders recognise that they can also have an impact, that these behaviours are sexual harassment and are unacceptable, and that they can also report them. I’d like to assure you that leaflets are handed out to everyone – not just to women.
Additionally, training is being rolled out to frontline customer facing staff, starting with 500 TfL enforcement officers which began in November 2021. The training covers prevention, care and support for victims ensuring that all reports are taken seriously and dealt with compassionately and protocols for reporting to police. In parallel to training, TfL is raising awareness of the role of frontline staff through internal communications and briefings.
Every report is taken seriously and provides valuable information to the police to aid their investigations. We support police investigations in any way we can, whether that be through our extensive CCTV network or the provision of data from our ticketing systems. It’s important in an emergency, including where an offender is still present, to call 999, or to alert a member of staff at the next station. Please see the attached requested data, and note the explanatory text accompanying the data.
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.
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
Jasmine Howard FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
