Transport for London and Met Police Begin Bus Shelter CCTV Trial

Transport for London has vowed to ensure the safety of women and girls across its network with a brand new trial of CCTV cameras at 20 bus shelters across the city.

The trial, which was announced on this year’s White Ribbon Day (25 November) and is set to continue over the next 12 months, was devised in collaboration with the Metropolitan Police and aims to improve passenger safety on services throughout London.

Following tests at a small selection of five bus shelters earlier this year, a further fifteen shelters have been fitted with new CCTV technology including locations in Brent, Croydon, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Redbridge, Lambeth, Hillingdon, Newham, Waltham Forest and Westminster, with locations chosen due to varying combinations of higher footfall, less frequent services, crime hotspots or key areas women and girls have reported feelings of unease.

Deputy Mayor for Transport, Seb Dance said:

Everyone deserves to feel safe and be safe at all times when travelling around London and it is the Mayor’s top priority to ensure the transport network is a safe and low-crime environment. That’s why I welcome this trial of CCTV at bus shelters, which will improve safety for women and girls and ensure they can travel with confidence.

Increased CCTV will help to ensure the network is secure and welcoming round the clock, supporting the Mayor’s aim to continue building a safer London for everyone.

Cameras at each shelter will provide the Met with exclusive, round-the-clock live access, and all footage will be retained for 31 days in order to support any and all police investigations should problems arise at any of the covered locations.

Met Commander, Ben Russell said:, said:

The Met is determined to make London safer, working with our partners to ensure every woman and girl feels safe in the city they call home.

This pilot will help protect women and girls, meaning they can enjoy safer spaces across the capital. It also aims to help us bring more dangerous predators to justice, with CCTV being used as a key tool as part of our investigations.

TfL will be looking to gather feedback from travellers throughout the trial, as well as explore further opportunities to provide a more comprehensive safety infrastructure throughout its expansive network.

Should the trial be deemed successful, TfL has also stated plans to increase the network to include a wider list of locations across the capital.

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