New campaign will emphasise zero tolerance approach to all forms of work-related violence and aggression on London's public transport network, making it clear that abuse has serious consequences
- Campaign uses examples of prosecutions to make it clear that abuse has serious consequences, including one offender being handed a 38-week prison sentence
- TfL has seen an increase in all incidents of work-related violence and aggression against staff, with 200 incidents reported on average every week in 2023/24
- TfL will always work with the police to push for the strongest sentences possible for offenders
Transport for London (TfL) has launched a new campaign to tackle violence and aggression against staff on the transport network, sending a strong message to offenders that it is not tolerated on TfL's services and making it clear that both physical and verbal abuse is a criminal offence with consequences. TfL takes work-related violence and aggression extremely seriously and this new campaign is one element of its work to ensure its staff are safe, feel safe and are supported.
TfL staff work hard to serve the millions of customers who use the transport network every day and have the right to go about their work without fear or intimidation. There has been an increase in all incidents of work-related violence and aggression, with higher numbers of verbal abuse, threats, hate and aggression being reported. In 2023/24 there were 10,493 reports of work-related violence and aggression, compared to 9,989 in 2022/23, an increase of five per cent. TfL encourages all staff to report any instance of abuse, whether physical or non-physical, so that proactive measures can be taken, and the overall increase in reporting could indicate that staff have more confidence to report, knowing that every incident will be taken seriously.
While total incidents have increased, the number of physical incidents reported recently has decreased. From 1 April to 22 June 2024, 197 physical incidents were reported by directly employed TfL staff, a 20 per cent reduction compared to the same period last year, when there were 248 reported incidents. TfL hopes to continue seeing this downward trend through the widespread adoption of body worn video (BWV) camera, deployment of Transport Support Enforcement Officers and rollout of conflict management training.
The campaign uses real life incidents of staff abuse to send a clear message to perpetrators that they will be caught, and action will be taken. TfL will always work with the police to ensure anyone who assaults its colleagues is brought to justice. Examples of incidents across the campaign include:
- A young man who violently threatened and assaulted a female Customer Service Assistant during rush hour at King's Cross St. Pancras station in June 2023. He was sentenced to 38 weeks in prison
- A teenager who spat at and racially abused a Customer Service Assistant at Balham station during rush hour in May 2023. She was arrested and sentenced to 3 weeks in prison
- A 59-year-old man who verbally and physically assaulted a bus driver in Cromwell bus station in 2022. He was arrested and later sentenced to 20 months in prison
The new campaign builds on efforts by TfL and police to tackle work-related violence and aggression across the network. Earlier this year, TfL made BWV part of its essential kit for frontline customer facing staff. Research shows that the risk of assaults on colleagues can almost halve when wearing a BWV camera, and the footage can provide vital evidence to the police if an assault does occur, resulting in better outcomes when offenders go to court.
TfL Transport Support and Enforcement (TSE) officers are also deployed across the network to provide support to operational customer-facing colleagues, challenge work-related violence and provide a highly visible reassuring presence to staff and customers. In January, TfL launched its first Night Team of TSE officers in the first four weeks of deployment, the TSE officers removed 47 passengers who were refusing to comply with the rules and regulations of the network and were obstructive or threatened TfL staff. Officers are highly trained in conflict management with powers and equipment to deal with anti-social behaviour and enforce byelaws and regulations.
Earlier this year, TfL also launched a new programme of conflict management training for customer-facing operational teams working in high-risk locations for work-related violence and aggression across London Underground, Bus Operations and River Services. This training provides essential knowledge and skills, covering positive interactions to reduce the risks of violence and aggression, dynamic risk assessments and de-escalation skills.
Siwan Hayward, TfL's Director of Security, Policing and Enforcement, said:
'Everyone has the right to work without fear of being assaulted, abused or threatened. We take work-related violence and aggression extremely seriously and will always encourage staff to report any instance of abuse whether physical or non-physical. This means that preventative measures can be taken and the strongest penalties brought against offenders. This new campaign aims to send a strong message to offenders that staff abuse won't be tolerated on our services and that you will be caught and face serious consequences. We are committed to doing all we can to protect our colleagues and keep them safe, and to eradicate work-related violence and aggression.'
Conor Geraghty, TfL Transport Support Enforcement Officer, said:
'I am pleased to see TfL's continued commitment to everyone having the right to work in a safe and supportive environment. I am proud and honoured to be part of TfL, where I have the opportunity to contribute to efforts to combat workplace violence and aggression. As a CPOS operational officer, I am acutely aware of the positive impact my role has, and I am empowered to make a tangible difference on the frontline.'
Chief Superintendent Tom Naughton, Head of the Met's Road and Transport Policing Command, said:
'Anyone who is abusive, aggressive or violent towards staff on London's transport network can expect to be arrested and prosecuted.
'The recent prosecutions that have resulted in prison sentences demonstrate the consequences of criminal behaviour towards TfL staff.'
British Transport Police Superintendent Dominique Ioannou, said:
'No person on the rail network should ever be subjected to violence or abuse, especially rail staff who are simply doing their job. We take assaults towards members of rail staff extremely seriously and it will not be tolerated on the network under any circumstance. We continue to work closely with TfL to tackle the issue and we will explore all investigative avenues to identify and prosecute offenders. This includes encouraging staff to report incidents to us and supporting the use of body worn cameras for frontline rail staff. We know from experience that body worn video is a fantastic tool that not only record incidents, which we can then use to secure convictions, but also acts as a deterrent in the first instance, helping to de-escalate situations. We encourage passengers who experience or witnesses any crime onboard a train or at a station to report it to us by texting 61016, calling 0800 40 50 40 or via the free Railway Guardian app. Always call 999 in an emergency.'
Last week, a man was sentenced to 10- months imprisonment after he racially abused a bus driver in London and violently attacked a betting shop. Michael Mongan, 39, of Castle Road, Ealing, west London, spat at the bus driver's cab a number of times while shouting Islamophobic abuse and other threats. TfL will always work with the police to ensure anyone who assaults its staff is brought to justice as quickly as possible.
Notes to editors:
- Campaign images are available from TfL Press Office
- The workplace violence incidents reported above are internally reported and not police figures
- TfL invests more than £170m in the Metropolitan Police Service and British Transport Police each year, funding dedicated policing on London's roads and TfL's transport networks to keep its customers and staff safe
- A specialist unit within TfL works with both the Metropolitan Police and British Transport Police (BTP) to investigate crimes against staff. This Workplace Violence and Aggression (WVA) Team support staff and their managers, and assists the police in the investigation of physical assault and verbal aggression against TfL staff, which can include public order offences and hate crime. Their purpose is to improve the quality of staff assault investigation and provide feedback to police and other criminal justice partners, as well as improve victim care and support provided by TfL
- Revenue disputes are a precursor to approximately half of all reported work-related violence and aggression incidents towards frontline colleagues across the network. TfL has a comprehensive programme in place to deter offenders, including more than 450 officers undertaking ticket inspection and revenue enforcement activity across every mode of transport every day. Station staff also provide insight and information about fare evaders to TfL enforcement and investigations teams to take action
- TfL's use of Body Worn Video follows General Data Protection Regulation requirements. Access to recordings is tightly controlled and there are strict guidelines managing who can view footage within TfL. The police can request body worn camera video and audio images from TfL for the purpose of investigating a crime or incident and to apprehend an offender
- Research undertaken by Cambridge University in conjunction with RDG, BTP and Northern Rail in 2019 using trial data, found that assaults on staff were cut by nearly half for those wearing BWV: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0734016818814889