Efforts of BTP and LU Paying Off
Safety of the Tube staff has been a major concern for the British Transport Police in recent times with various incidents of physical violence, threats etc taking place across the network. However with the joint and focused efforts of the LU and BTP Workplace Violence Unit there has been a significant decrease in the crime rate.
One of the challenges faced by the Tube staff is to keep a check on gate crashing passengers, while an even bigger one is to deal with ticket disputes. These are seen as the two biggest causes for attacks on the staff. BTP data shows that such issues cause wastage of approximately 50 working hours every day of the week.
The data also reveals a major decline in occurrence of other crimes like robberies, which have fallen by about 30% on the Tube and Dockland Light Railway Networks. There has been a marked decrease in crimes like pick pocketing and other minor offences.
Howard Collins, the Chief Operating Officer of LU, feels elated about the fact that the crime against his staff has declined significantly. He pointed out the importance of the responsibilities of the Tube staff who try to make the life of the commuters comfortable and safe, while themselves facing attacks. He revealed that as per the latest customer feedback, people using LU feel much safer than before.
Andy Trotter, The Deputy Chief Constable of BTP, feels that it is not just the passengers who feel threatened by attacks, but also the staff. He is positive about the way things have been going so far, and assures that his unit would deal with such crimes with even more determination in the future.
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