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.
