Request ID: FOI-4320-2324 Date published: 14 March 2024
You asked
Hi there,
I am interested in getting some data on reports of beggars on the underground network.
Assuming this is information that you log, may you send me:
- a month-by-month breakdown of the number of reports of beggars on the tube network overall in the past 5 years
- a month-by-month breakdown of the number of reports of beggars broken down by the underground line on which the beggar was operating in the past 5 years
- a month-by-month breakdown of the number of reports of beggars broken down by lines with walk-through carriages vs lines without in the past 5 years
- a month-by-month breakdown of how many reports of beggars there have been for every train that departs on lines with walk-through carriages vs lines without
Thanks
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-4320-2324 Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 21st February 2024 asking for information about begging on the London Underground. Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. Specifically you asked: “I am interested in getting some data on reports of beggars on the underground network. Assuming this is information that you log, may you send me: - a month-by-month breakdown of the number of reports of beggars on the tube network overall in the past 5 years - a month-by-month breakdown of the number of reports of beggars broken down by the underground line on which the beggar was operating in the past 5 years - a month-by-month breakdown of the number of reports of beggars broken down by lines with walk-through carriages vs lines without in the past 5 years - a month-by-month breakdown of how many reports of beggars there have been for every train that departs on lines with walk-through carriages vs lines without”. I am afraid it is not possible to source the information to answer these questions within the costs limit for responding to FOI requests, as set out under section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act. Under section 12 TfL is not required to provide information if it would cost more than £450 to determine if that information is held, and to then locate, retrieve or extract it from elsewhere. This is calculated at a rate of £25 per hour, equivalent to 18 hours work. In this instance the exemption applies because the requested information has not been collated before, and there is no quick, efficient or automated way of doing so. There is no consistent data held on this subject, and the most comprehensive data we hold will be within electronic incident reporting forms (EIRFs) that are filled out by staff in the course of their duties. However, these forms can be used to record various different kinds of incident that may occur on the network, not just in relation to begging. To extract the information that relates specifically to begging could only be achieved by conducting a manual trawl of all such reports on an individual basis. This is not possible within the costs limit, especially given the 5 year time frame to which your request relates. Note that we continually help staff understand the importance of reporting anyone they believe may be vulnerable or in need of support on our transport network and have issued guidance to staff to assist with this. Staff have access to information on how to help someone who may be rough sleeping, homeless or vulnerable, while ensuring anyone who behaves in a threatening manner towards customers or staff, or commits a crime, is reported to the police.
You may wish to contact the British Transport Police (BTP) to see if they hold any data on this subject. FOI requests to the BTP can be made via its website here:
https://www.btp.police.uk/foi-ai/af/accessing-information/ Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal. Yours sincerely, David Wells FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
