Two women are being sexually assaulted daily on London Tubes and trains on average, new data suggests.
Nearly 8,000 incidents were reported in London in the decade between June 2013 and June 2023, figures released by the British Transport Police reveal.
This is more than two offences a day on average. The statistics cover offences in train and Tube carriages, which are recorded under the name of the end station of the journey, and offences in stations themselves.
They show that Stratford Station was the most common place for sex offences to be recorded, with 277 reports, followed by Bank Tube Station at 248 reports, and Oxford Circus at 220 reports.
King’s Cross and St Pancras Tube station saw 210 reports of sexual assaults on female passengers during that time, while 179 incidents were reported at, or on services ending at Liverpool Street Tube station.
The most common time for offences to occur is between 5pm to 7pm in packed rush hour train carriages, said the British Transport Police.
A spokesperson said the force had a zero-tolerance approach to the assaults and that the offences were less than 0.01 per cent of all journeys.
The force said it had seen a “notable increase” in reports because of campaigns urging commuters to call them in to police.
“We have enhanced patrols of uniformed and specially trained plain clothes officers across the railway day and night to catch offenders and reassure passengers as they travel,” said a spokeswoman.
“We also have access to over 150,000 cameras across the railway network, which can provide us with clear, high quality images.
“These aren't our only tactic when it comes to identifying suspects and bringing cases to court; we police a data rich environment where we can easily extract useful information about people and their journeys when crimes are committed.”
Recent cases brought to court include that of “disgusting predator” Hailu Getemariam, 24, who targeted three lone women on the Northern and Jubilee lines between March and May.
He was sentenced to 14 months in jail in November.
Earlier this month "depraved" predator Ryan Johnston was jailed for raping an unconscious woman on the Piccadilly Line in front of tourists.
A spokesperson for Mayor Sadiq Khan, who has responsibility for TfL and policing in Grater London, said he was working with partners to tackle offenders.
“This includes ensuring we have 2,500 police officers and police community support officers and 500 TfL enforcement officers patrolling the network,” said the spokesperson.
“TfL also continues to run an anti sexual harassment campaign across London’s transport network, which clearly outlines the behaviours that will not be tolerated and puts the focus rightly on the offenders.”
