TravelWatch: London transport victims deterred by confusing reporting and staff disinterest

Mixed · 2A report by the passenger watchdog London TravelWatch found 'serious issues' with how victims of crime and unwanted behaviour on London's public transport report incidents. 1 2 Mixed · 2It found that only two in five people who experience an incident come forward, although four in five said they would report hate or sexual harassment. 1 2 Right · 1Reasons given include staff 'indifference', bystander inaction, not knowing how to report, feeling an incident is not serious enough, and doubting action will follow; the Daily Mail says victims described staff as absent, inaccessible or physically separated from passengers. 1

Mixed · 2The watchdog describes the reporting process, spread across multiple operators, public authorities and police forces, as 'fragmented' and confusing, and recommends a single streamlined system that prioritises victims' immediate safety and gives consistent support, with staff trained to give a 'proactive first response' and meaningful feedback whatever the outcome. 1 2 Left · 1Metro, which led with the story, reported that victims told it their cases were dropped because evidence such as CCTV was not working. 2 Left · 1Isadora Medeiros told Metro that in 2021 on the Elizabeth Line a man who had asked for their number called them a slur, threatened to rape and kill them, and slapped them; British Transport Police said they could not pursue the case because none of the CCTV, at Stratford, in the carriage or at Ilford, was working. 2

Left · 1Another victim, Victoria, was upskirted on the Central Line in March; she said a ticket-office worker at Debden told her to text British Transport Police and shut the door, and police closed the case as the man jumped the barriers and the carriage had no CCTV. 2 Right · 1The Daily Mail adds context: 1,724 hate crime offences were recorded on the TfL network in 2025; 41 per cent of Londoners have experienced unwanted behaviour since 2023; and a March London Assembly report found 'unacceptable' levels of violence against women and girls, with 4,593 sex-based offences recorded in 2025, about 3 per cent leading to a charge or summons and 58 per cent identifying no suspect. 1 Mixed · 2Siwan Hayward, TfL's Director of Security, Policing and Enforcement, said the incidents were 'deeply concerning' (to Metro) and that TfL is working with police to strengthen reporting; she told the Daily Mail all TfL stations are covered by CCTV and staff use body-worn cameras. 2 1

Left · 1BTP Chief Inspector Cheryl Ling said reporting pathways should be accessible and straightforward, and TSSA general secretary Maryam Eslamdoust said more staff and bigger budgets, including for BTP, are needed alongside training. 2