The Metropolitan Police Service's MPS Operation BusTag, which tackles criminal damage and anti-social behaviour on London buses using Closed Circuit Television CCTV, is celebrating its continued success with a respected policing award for problem solving.

Anyone intent on causing damage to our buses should be warned that we will catch them

In the past two years Operation BusTag, part of the MPS Transport Operational Command Unit which is funded by Transport for London (TfL), has tripled the arrest rate for offences such as graffiti, window etching, seat and window damage and arson, and now has a conviction rate of more than 90 per cent.

At an awards ceremony in east London today (February 22nd 2007) The BusTag team from TfL and the MPS was awarded the £10,000 first prize over seven other short listed projects, all involving innovative initiatives promoting community safety and partnership working.

Steve Burton, Deputy Director of TfL's Transport Policing and Enforcement Directorate said: "Operation BusTag has gone from strength to strength and our arrest rate is continuing to go up every month.

"Graffiti and vandalism on London's buses creates an intimidating atmosphere which we do not believe our customers should have to put up with.

"Now with at least six CCTV cameras on every vehicle anyone intent on causing damage to our buses should be warned that we will catch them and they will be prosecuted."

Justice

Chief Superintendent Michael Humphrey said: "This is a prestigious and well deserved award for Operation BusTag.

"It recognises the unique CCTV reporting and investigation processes we have created, which ultimately leads to perpetrators of criminal damage being identified and brought to justice.

"By removing the veil of anonymity that surrounds criminal damage we will effect a culture change on buses and in communities across London."

Operation BusTag was set up in November 2004 to combat the increasing trend of criminal damage on buses which increases the fear of crime on public transport.

The unit is supported in its work by the 23 London bus operating companies who monitor the 55-60,000 CCTV cameras on London's 8,000 buses, and who have had to shoulder the financial burden of repairing criminal damage.

The annual Problem Solving Award - a collaboration between the Metropolitan Police Service, The Metropolitan Police Association and the Safer London Foundation - is aimed at recognising community policing that responds to local needs.
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  • This is the second partnership policing award that TfL has won in recent months. Last October the Safer Transport at Night project - a partnership between the Mayor of London, TfL and the Metropolitan Police - was awarded the 14th annual Goldstein Award for Problem Orientated Policing for 2006. The award, which receives entries from a number of countries around the world, is given to a project that best reflects excellence in problem-orientated policing
  • Operation BusTag is a Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) investigation unit, and was set up in November 2004 by the Met's Transport Operational Command Unit which is funded by Transport for London (TfL) to:
    • Tackle criminal damage being committed on London's buses
    • Identify and bring to justice those who have committed criminal damage on London's buses
    • Liaise with bus companies and other authorities to tackle criminal damage and anti-social behaviour
  • CCTV images from cameras now on board every one of London's 8,000 buses are used by the team to apprehend those causing damage which costs bus companies millions of pounds a year to repair
  • Since November 2004 Operation BusTag has made over 1381 arrests for criminal damage, and 787 arrests have been made in the past 11months
  • As a result of Operation Bustag the reporting of criminal damage increased by over 109 per cent, the number of people accused of criminal damage on buses rose by 161 per cent (comparing 2003/04 figures to 2005/06 figures)
  • The BusTag operation also works closely with London's 23 bus operating companies who together have a team of 70 CCTV analysts who go through thousands of hours of footage every year to pin point images of alleged crimes.
  • A disc of images will then be handed over to BusTag officers who will:
    • View the footage and establish that an offence has taken place
    • Establish clear images of the suspect
    • Take the best image and circulate it as a Powerpoint picture
    • Circulate images to police boroughs, schools and newspapers
    • Once a suspect has been identified they will be arrested by borough officers
  • By the end of 2005 TfL fitted all of London's 8000 buses were with fully recording CCTV and there are now as many as 60,000 cameras fitted on the fleet
  • The MPS TOCU was set up in 2002 to fight crime on buses, tackle illegal taxi touts; and assist with the control of traffic congestion - there are now more than 1,200 uniformed officers in the unit which is funded, at a cost of around £70m a year, by TfL
  • London Buses carry 6.3m passengers a day on 700 routes across the capital. They remain a low crime environment but TfL is not complacent. The safety of our staff and passengers is our top priority, and antisocial behaviour will not be tolerated on our buses
  • The Safer London Foundation is an independent charity which aims to reduce crime, promote community cohesion and develop safer neighbourhoods through innovative community led crime reduction projects