Specially designed CCTV cameras are being trialled at bus shelters across London in a bid to improve safety. It comes as Transport for London (TfL) revealed it has also begun using night-time enforcement officers. The first of the new CCTV cameras was installed earlier this week at the Peckham Library bus stop. Four further shelters, at Finsbury Park, Turnpike Lane, Gants Hill and Stratford City, will soon receive their own cameras.
TfL says it is hoping to extend the trial to 20 shelters later this year. The cameras, which are designed to be integrated into the shelters themselves, will retain recordings for 31 days to support police investigations. The night enforcement officers, meanwhile, began their patrols in January, and in their first four weeks removed 47 passengers who were refusing to follow TfL’s rules, behaving obstructively or threatening staff. A further 82 people were denied access to the network in the first place because of their behaviour.
The news from TfL comes in the same week that Sadiq Khan’s opponents took aim at the mayor’s record in tackling crime on public transport.
Conservative mayoral candidate Susan Hall pledged to appoint a women’s commissioner and target sexual harassment on the Tube, while the Liberal Democrat candidate Rob Blackie revealed data showing a 58% rise in reported offences on public transport since 2016, the year that the Labour mayor took office.
Mr Khan’s transport deputy, Seb Dance, said: “We want everyone to feel safe and be safe when travelling around London at all times, and it is the mayor’s top priority to ensure the transport network is a safe and low-crime environment.”
TfL said it already provided funding for 2,500 police and community support officers dedicated to the transport network, and had more than 500 enforcement staff who work during the day.
