Eight violent crimes a day on buses

5 April 2012

The scale of violence on London's buses is revealed today.

An average of eight crimes such as stabbings, sexual assaults and beatings are reported each day - as well as 160 cases of criminal damage, fights, fare disputes and drunken clashes.

Documents seen by the Evening Standard show an increasing use of knives and the involvement of teenagers. There is an upsurge of disturbances between 3pm and 5pm as pupils go home from school. All pupils and students under 18 travel free on London buses. But violent crime is happening at all times of the day - even during the rush hour.

The figures come after Mayor Boris Johnson promised to increase the presence of uniformed police and police community support officers on buses.

Internal TfL documents detail every "code red", when bus controllers at TfL's CentreComm are told by drivers or members of the public of crime, vandalism and disorder.

In 107 days this year 838 violent incidents were recorded, along with hundreds more incidents of disturbance and criminal damage. These included:

Six youths in Barking on board a No287 stabbing a 25-year-old man in the head at 7pm.

A driver was stabbed in the head and arms by two youths wearing hoods on the N369 in Barking at 2.31am.

A 40-year-old man being attacked by eight youths on a No 18 bus and stabbed in the head in Hillside, Stonebridge Park.

15-year-old girl threatening a 16-year-old boy with a kitchen knife on the HA4 in west London at 11am.

The driver of a No199 being threatened with a knife by youths demanding money after they opened the emergency doors at Canada Water station at 11.32am.

A driver on the No31 in Maida Hill chased off his bus by a gang of youths, at least one of whom had a knife, at around 10pm.

A gang of four youths hitting a 65-year-old woman on the back of the head on the 177 in Greenwich at 8.23pm.

More than 20 youths assaulting a man and woman on a No 337 bus in Putney at 4.17pm.

Ten youths attacking a 20-year-old man on the No174 in Romford at 11pm.

Four boys with a dog attacking a man on a 436 in Peckham High Street at 2.54pm.

The reports shows bus drivers are often in the line of fire with passengers hurling food, cans and other missiles at them. There are instances where drivers have been sprayed with fire extinguishers and CS gas.

The growing problem of violence against bus drivers prompted TfL to issue them all with DNA swab kits in an attempt to catch thugs who spit at them.

Mr Johnson last week pledged extra police to tackle crime in and around "bus hubs". He has also promised a "zero tolerance" policy against unruly schoolchildren on buses. He plans to withdraw free travel from those who misbehave and force them to carry out community work if they want to regain it.

Free travel for under-18s was introduced by Ken Livingstone who claimed there was no relationship between it and problems of vandalism and disorder on buses.

London transport bosses today highlighted moves to increase police presence on buses - a change of tone from the previous TfL policy under Mr Livingstone who said violent crime was not a major issue for passengers because of the low incidents of crime for every mile travelled by buses. A TfL spokesman said: "The Mayor and Transport for London are working hard to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour on buses.

"Though London's buses are a low crime environment with just 15 crimes per million passenger journeys, we recognise more needs to be done to make people feel safer. That is why we recently pledged a further 440 uniformed officers on top of the 1,600 officers that currently patrol London's bus network.

"This means there will be a greater uniformed presence on the buses than at any time previously.

"Reducing violent behaviour is not something that can happen overnight but we hope that passengers will see that we are taking positive action to improve the safety of everyone that uses our buses."

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Eight violent crimes a day on buses

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