Night Tube start date: Police aim to make services as safe as during the day

Police will step up their presence when the Night Tube launches
Lucy Young
Ross Lydall @RossLydall15 August 2016

The officer in charge of policing the London Underground today admitted it would be a “challenge” to prevent higher crime levels on the Night Tube.

Superintendent Chris Horton, of British Transport Police, said his aim was for it to be as safe on the new service as it is during the day.

About 100 BTP officers will be on patrol when the Night Tube launches on the Central and Victoria lines on Friday night, after Mayor Sadiq Khan provided £3.4 million to pay for extra shifts.

Supt Horton told the Standard: “I don’t see anything stopping it from being a success. What we are really focused on is that people need to feel safe as well as be safe. The challenge for us is making sure there are not more people unlucky to be a victim of crime using the Night Tube.”

'Challenge': Police are stepping up their presence on the Tube at night
Lucy Young

The number of crimes on the Underground and DLR increased year-on-year by 11.7 per cent in 2015/16 to 10,719 incidents, including 2,777 violent attacks, 894 sexual offences and 803 cases of serious public disorder. There are about 1.4 billion Tube journeys a year.

A London Assembly report earlier this year revealed police had identified 12 “red stations” as being at risk of increased crime and anti-social behaviour as a result of the Night Tube.

The stations listed by BTP were Camden Town, London Bridge, North Greenwich, Vauxhall, Brixton, Waterloo, Oxford Circus, Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus, Charing Cross, Victoria and Hammersmith.

Trial run: Night Tube services were open for a dry run this weekend
Lucy Young

There were also concerns from the Metropolitan police about Walthamstow Central and Stratford. A TfL risk assessment warned of a likely increase in sexual offences and other crimes.

A trial run of the Night Tube was carried out last Friday night, during which staff were tested on their ability to cope with a series of likely incidents, from a station evacuation to drunken passengers being sick on board trains.

Tube staff told the Standard of concerns about passengers having to walk through “muggers’ alleys” late at night at outlying stations such as Leytonstone.

It was at Leytonstone, where the two exits are via pedestrian tunnels, where passenger Lyle Zimmerman, 56, had his throat cut by Muhiddin Mire in a terror-linked knife attack last December. Mire was earlier this month sentenced to life imprisonment, initially at Broadmoor secure mental health unit.

Supt Horton said fast-response BTP firearms officers above ground would be able to respond to major incidents. Officers on patrol would be equipped with Tasers, he said. Additional visibility would be provided by community support officers.

He said: “The Tube is a very low crime environment. [In 2014/15] there were 6.8 crimes for every one million passenger journeys. We already police the network every weekend. We are not expecting to see a significant change.”

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