Crime on London’s tube network has soared by nearly 40 per cent above its pre-Covid levels and fare-dodging has hit a record high.
Transport for London data reveals a total of 10,420 crimes were recorded on the London Underground between last December and May, fuelled by a four-fold increase in robbery and a 66 per cent hike in thefts.
On the bus network, victims of sexual offences on bus were overwhelmingly female, and typically aged 12 to 30 years, with schoolgirls accounting for a “substantial” number of people targeted in attacks investigated by British Transport Police.
It came as eight per cent of respondents to TfL’s passenger surveys said they had experienced unwanted sexual behaviour on public transport, and four per cent had witnessed a crime being committed.
So what’s behind this post-Covid soaring crime rate - and where are the worst station hotspots where passengers should be extra vigilant when travelling?
Evening Standard transport editor Ross Lydall has been examining the data and joins the Leader podcast to discuss what’s behind the shocking figures.
