Request ID: FOI-3614-2324 Date published: 09 February 2024
You asked
1. For both the 2021/22 and 2022/23 financial years can you please provide me with a breakdown of crimes that you have logged as taking place on the (a) tube/rail network that you have responsibility for and (b) the buses that you have responsibility for. Please also provide a breakdown of these crimes by type of offence.
2. In relation to the 2022/23 year please provide a list of the ten tube/rail network stations where the most crimes were logged.
3. In relation to the 2022/23 year please provide a list of the ten bus routes where the most crimes were logged.
Note: In relation to Q.2 and Q.3 I would be grateful if you could provide me with a table showing the ten names of stations/bus routes and the then the number of crimes that were assigned to each one.
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-3614-2324
Thank you for your request received on 15 January 2024 asking for information about crime on our network. 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. We are committed to reducing crime across our network and we continue to work with our policing partners to put measures in place to reduce crime and keep customers and colleagues safe as they travel and work on our network. The British Transport Police (BTP) is responsible for policing our underground, rail, and tram networks. The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) polices the bus network.
Although we have seen an increase in the level of crime as more passengers have returned to the network following the pandemic and ongoing efforts to make it easier for customers and staff to report crimes and encourage reporting of underreported crimes such as sexual offences and harassment and hate crime, we work with our policing partners to deploy resources to hotspots across our network to tackle and deter crime. Theft (including pickpocketing) is the most commonly reported crime type and is the main driver in the increase in the volume and rate of crime. Please see the attached spreadsheet which details which crimes fall into the categories below. Due to slight differences in the way in which the MPS and the BTP categorise crimes, it has been necessary to map minor crime types to main crime categories. You asked for: 1. For both the 2021/22 and 2022/23 financial years can you please provide me with a breakdown of crimes that you have logged as taking place on the: (a) tube/rail network that you have responsibility for and
2021/22
2022/23
Crime Group
DLR
Elizabeth Line
London Overground
London Underground
Trams
Total
DLR
Elizabeth Line
London Overground
London Underground
Trams
Total
All other offences
33
48
53
681
12
827
36
110
68
873
8
1095
Criminal damage
63
39
72
834
39
1047
87
59
255
1012
33
1446
Cycle theft
38
81
96
160
6
381
34
75
105
222
3
439
Motor vehicle theft
6
3
5
241
1
256
8
10
15
357
1
391
Offensive Weapons
2
5
7
55
3
72
13
13
11
77
0
114
Public Order
77
113
297
1709
37
2233
149
242
381
2470
58
3300
Robbery
30
20
54
353
21
478
39
59
56
515
61
730
Sexual
38
18
48
727
11
842
38
28
57
814
7
944
Theft of personal property
232
99
290
3998
24
4643
340
346
352
8010
28
9076
Violence
125
151
243
2127
49
2695
159
291
314
2640
91
3495
Total
644
577
1165
10885
203
13474
903
1233
1614
16990
290
21030
(b) the buses that you have responsibility for. Please also provide a breakdown of these crimes by type of offence.
2021/22
2022/23
Crime Group
Bus
Bus
All other offences
180
144
Criminal damage
572
618
Cycle theft
9
0
Motor vehicle theft
96
66
Offensive Weapons
60
66
Public Order
2019
2043
Robbery
1309
1909
Sexual
660
824
Theft of personal property
6280
8196
Violence
3165
3866
Total
14350
17732
2. In relation to the 2022/23 year please provide a list of the ten tube/rail network stations where the most crimes were logged. Please find the requested information in the table below. Please note that we are provided with this information from the BTP as part of a monthly snapshot. The below data displays counts of offences where the crime was recorded to have occurred at the station (rather than on-train etc).
Station
Total
Stratford
417
Oxford Circus
400
Kings Cross St Pancras
277
Leicester Square
264
Tottenham Court Road
229
Green Park
188
Finsbury Park
187
Piccadilly Circus
169
London Bridge
169
Liverpool Street
165
3. In relation to the 2022/23 year please provide a list of the ten bus routes where the most crimes were logged. Unfortunately, to provide the information you have requested would exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ of £450 set by the Freedom of Information (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004. Under section 12 of the FOI Act, we are not obliged to comply with a request if we estimate that the cost of determining whether we hold the information, locating and retrieving it and extracting it from other information would exceed the appropriate limit. This is calculated at £25 per hour for every hour spent on the activities described. We have estimated that it would cost over £450 to provide a response to your current request. This is because it is estimated that it would take in excess of 18 working hours to retrieve and compile the information you have requested. We do not record bus crime by route. In order to determine the bus route we would need to review every crime report to determine which route the crime occurred on, where this is recorded by police. To help bring the cost of responding to your request within the £450 limit, you may wish to consider narrowing its scope so that we can more easily locate, retrieve and extract the information you are seeking. If you want to refine your request or make a FOI Act request in future, please bear in mind that the FOI Act allows you to request recorded information held by us. You should identify the information that you want as clearly and concisely as you can, specifying the types of document that you are looking for. You might also consider limiting your request to a narrower time period. Although your request can take the form of a question, rather than a request for specific documents, we do not have to answer your question if it would require the creation of new information or the provision of a judgement, explanation, advice or opinion that was not already recorded at the time of your request. Please note that we will not be taking further action until we receive your revised request. 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.
Yours sincerely
Gemma Jacob Senior FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
