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Eight violent crimes a day on buses
Aline Nassif, Evening Standard27.05.08
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."
Reader views (11)
Why not make introduce a rule that all school buses are single deck vehicles.If the police and TFL know the worse times they must do more to monitor the routes and take action.Maybe this would help,but really the drivers are in a difficult situation.To me the bigger the bus the bigger the problem,if school children cause a nuisance then refuse to allow any of them on the bus and make the school provide its own transport!
- Mrmarkmarten, reading,berkshire
I am sick of rude bus drivers who grunt when you ask them a question. Tonight my son came home and the bus driver purposely closed the door on him and he is bruised. I am considering suing London transport for assault upon him. Just because he is a youth does not make him guilty of being the criminal. Bus drivers ask for disrespect with this kind of attitude if you ask me.I have also stood at bus stops myself in the past in freezing weather and so has my son when the bus driver just could not be bothered to stop and kept on driving. Just because they are bus drivers does not mean they are always the victim. What about when they assault passengers!They need to learn some manners too! Don't assume kids are guilty just because they are kids. Stop picking on the kids all the time. They deserve to be treated with respect too.Annoyed Mother from Bromley, Kent.
- Melly J, bromley
Free under-age travel should quickly be reduced to 6:30am - 7:30pm Mon-Fri. Over-65s don't have free reign (not permitted during morning rush-hours), why should kids? It's psychologically worsening the problem.
Travelling back on a night-bus from the airport this Sunday evening, we (three 23-year-old girls) and the rest of the bus were threatened and intimidated by three 15-year-old prats. Sauntering on upstairs without paying, they then argued and bullied the bus driver when he refused to move the bus. The driver then gave in when the 'ring-leader' shouted 'ok who's got money, who shall I rob?' etc. After his 2 friends got off the most evil one then 'presided' over the lower deck, obstructing everyone's path until he deigned it OK for them to get down the stairs etc. No one said anything. I was so angry, even I wanted to give him a punch, but as a girl who has never done anything like that I felt one of the many men there could have done the dressing down better than me. He then openly stared/'checked out' my friend as she crossed the lower deck to get her case, and if I hadn't been following, his control-freak testosterone high could have led to more trouble.
I hope drivers have a silent way of calling the police, because if he had 'dared' to try on a radio, I'm sure this kid would have pulled a knife on him. If CCTV cameras are on the lower deck they didn't deter them.
I don't travel round London much anymore so I'm sure this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Scary
- Lauren, London
I cannot see the relevance of the racial background really. The rowdiness and abuse comes from all nationalities. Free travel is a problem as they hop on the bus now for 1 stop etc. As Alex says it gets abused.
- Paul, Essex UK
"It would be useful, for obvious reasons, to have more information about the racial background of the criminals"
- John Fitzgerald, Bristol u.k.
How would that help to solve the problem? Please explain...
- Mic, bromley, kent
It would be useful, for obvious reasons, to have more information about the racial background of the criminals.
- John Fitzgerald, bristol u.k.
The buses are fine in Mansfield. Twelve year olds can catch buses in Mansfield in safety night or day.
- Chris, Mansfield, UK
Hopefully free travel rights will be removed from under 18s - unfortunately, people do not appreciate things they get for free
- Alex, Kentish Town, London
I don't think having a conductor will make one jot of difference times have moved on for the worse since the conductors disappeared. Even if we re-introduce conductors what are they going to do? Will they risk getting assaulted or stabbed and how about arrested by the useless police for being over zealous physically with some foul mouthed yob. Blimey the crew couldn't even rely on the police turning up.
No the answer lies in central government getting very tough on crime and by that I mean capital punishment and the changing of manslaughter definitions then overcrowding becomes less of an issue. Many of these criminals don't deserve to live amongst us. I seed one suggestion as stiffer fines - well as most or on benefit of some kind who will pay.
I'll finish by saying that the last Mayor, Livingstone, simply ignored or lied about crime levels in London his response was to give free travel to the very age group that many of these thugs belonged to.
Nope society has no choice but to get nasty with these anti-social elements there are too many innocent victims who have been left totally at risk of violent crime by a government and local governments that are ironically more concerned with health and safety - as long as it's at work that is, whereas if it's H&S on London's buses and streets they cover their eyes and ears because it doesn't fit in with their Marxist view of the world where the decent, polite, hard working tax paying citizens are the real enemy.
- Lawrence Beatty, London UK
Yes, it's time to rethink one-person operated buses in built up areas. It's my view that a conductor always kept order on a bus, would evict troublemakers or stop them getting on in the first place. The driver is very vulnerable and can do very little when faced with gangs of unruly youths....who are not even paying for their fares. There's no need to take up the valuable time of PC's just employ bus conductors...no evaded fares on the bendy buses either! (BTW Docklands Light Railway learned this lesson- even when using driverless trains).
- Bina, London
These numbers are of course only the reported crimes and how many people bother to report crime these days with an almost 0 chance of it being taken seriously by the police unless the crime happens to be murder, involve a celebrity or overstaying a parking meter?
- Oli, London
