TfL launches campaign against violence and aggression towards staff

Credit: Transport for London

Transport for London (TfL) has announced that it has launched a new campaign to combat violence and aggression against its staff, emphasising that such behaviour will not be tolerated on its services. This initiative aims to protect the safety and wellbeing of TfL employees, ensuring that they can perform their duties without fear of abuse. The campaign underscores that both physical and verbal assaults on staff are criminal offenses with serious consequences.

The launch of this campaign comes in response to a notable increase in incidents of work-related violence and aggression. In the 2023/24 fiscal year, TfL recorded 10,493 reports of such incidents, a 5% rise from the 9,989 cases reported in the previous year. This uptick includes more instances of verbal abuse, threats and hate-related aggression. TfL attributes part of this increase to heightened awareness among staff, who are now more confident in reporting incidents, assured that each report will be taken seriously.

Despite the overall rise in reported incidents, there has been a decline in physical assaults. Between April and June 2024, TfL staff reported 197 physical incidents, marking a 20% decrease from the 248 incidents reported during the same period in 2023. TfL attributes this reduction to several proactive measures, including the deployment of body-worn video (BWV) cameras, the introduction of Transport Support and Enforcement (TSE) officers and enhanced conflict management training.

The campaign features real-life examples of offenders who have been prosecuted for abusing TfL staff. In one case, a young man was sentenced to 38 weeks in prison for assaulting a female Customer Service Assistant at King’s Cross St. Pancras station. Another example highlights a teenager sentenced to three weeks in prison for racially abusing and spitting at a staff member at Balham station.

TfL’s campaign is supported by a broader strategy that includes the mandatory use of BWV cameras by frontline staff, the deployment of TSE officers across the network and targeted conflict management training. TfL and the police remain committed to bringing offenders to justice and maintaining a safe environment for both staff and passengers.

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.”