Police criticised over public transport crimes

Police are failing to effectively deal with "unacceptable" levels of hate crimes and violence against women and girls (VAWG) on public transport in London, according to a new report from the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee.

The report noted that "the rise [in incidents] is contributing to a growing sense of concern about how safe people feel when travelling across the network".

Figures from the British Transport Police (BTP) showed that in 2025, around 97% of hate crime or VAWG offences reported did not result in a charge or summons.

The BTP and Met Police both said they aimed to continue to work together to keep the capital safe, and that they would review the committee's findings.

The committee also argued that the BTP and Met Police have failed to understand the "true scale and nature of hate crime and VAWG on public transport", while victims no longer have the confidence to report incidents nor receive adequate support after doing so.

This has led to a situation, it said, where, despite hate crimes and VAWG incidents trending upwards, there is still a fear that such occurrences on public transport are being "unreported".

Siwan Hayward, TfL's director of security, policing and enforcement, said: "We have a strong police and enforcement presence on our services and in our stations to prevent crime, and are determined to continue working together to make the transport network a hostile place for offenders.

"We welcome the committee's report and will be responding to the recommendations in due course," she added.

In a statement from BTP, it said: "We know that reporting crime needs to be easy and discreet, and we're proud of our text 61016 service which allows passengers to report crime to us discreetly and for free. Last year we received a 20% increase in reports.

Crime statistics on Transport for London services, 2025:

• 24,192 offences (of all types) - compared with a pre-pandemic average of 16,544 offences – a 46% increase
• 4,593 VAWG offences. Only 3% resulted in a charge or summons. 58% of cases identified no suspect.
• 1,724 hate crime offences. 2% resulted in a charge or summons with 66% identifying no suspect.

Source: British Transport Police

Tricia Hayes from London TravelWatch told the committee that its research found "70 per cent of people were choosing not to travel, or not to travel at particular times of day, because they were worried about their personal security".

To tackle the issue, the cross-party committee recommended the creation of a "dedicated rapid response taskforce" comprising of TfL, BTP and the Met, so that any reports of hate crime and VAWG are responded to "within a reasonable, published timeframe".

Assembly Members also called for more comprehensive data collection and analysis, including commissioning and publishing an annual, London-wide survey capturing the "lived experiences of passengers", as well as specialist training for frontline TfL staff.

The committee acknowledged TfL's efforts to crack down on the issue, including the 'Act Like a Friend' bystander campaign and a "revamped online reporting tool", but the report suggests a nationwide increase in hate crime means a more effective system is needed.

There was also optimism about the Mayor's Transport Hate Crime and VAWG Taskforce, launched last October.

A spokesperson for the Mayor said City Hall acknowledged there is still "more work to do" and said: "The Mayor will be stepping up collective action with TfL, Met Police and other partners to ensure our transport network is inclusive, safe and welcoming."

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