Soaring pickpocketing fuels surge in crime on the Tube

TUBE crime has soared by 56 per cent, fuelled by a massive increase in thefts and robberies, shocking figures revealed today.

- Ross Lydall

Latest data from Transport for London showed 10,836 offences were reported between April and September this year, compared with 6,294 over the same period last year.

This includes an 83 per cent rise in thefts, including pickpocketing, to 5,378 offences, and a 107 per cent increase in robberies, from 164 to 340 offences.

Across all TfL services, including the bus network, the London Overground and the Elizabeth line, reported crime increased by 30 per cent, from 17,160 to 22,294 offences. This is on top of a 45 per cent increase in crime in 2022-23, which was in part due to the post-pandemic return of passengers.

Susan Hall, the Tory mayoral candidate — who believes she was pickpocketed on the Tube on Monday — said: “We need change, because Londoners deserve better. As mayor, I’ll invest £200 million into policing, get CCTV up and running across the Tube, and make sure commuters feel safe once again in our city.”