London transport: Reported offences against women up 33% – police

Young women and girls are being urged to report sexual offences and sexual harassment that have happened on London’s transport network amid a 33% increase in reported offences in the capital.

New data from British Transport Police (BTP) shows in 2023, 320 young women and girls aged between 10 and 19 came forward to report incidents of sexual offences and harassment in London, increasing from 240 recorded in 2022.

BTP said it believed many incidents were still unreported.

Lex Gibbon, 19, from Hertfordshire, is among those calling for people to report offences after she was “followed through an Underground train station by a man who made me feel extremely unsafe, scared and vulnerable”.

Ms Gibbon said the man went on to verbally abuse her and touch her, and she reported it to the police.

Although BTP has been urging members of the public to report incidents via its 61016 text service, Ms Gibbon said “at the time, I had no idea that ‘text 61016’ existed”.

BTP’s Assistant Chief Constable Paul Furnell said: “We’re receiving more and more reports about sexual harassment, as people have had enough of this disgusting behaviour and know we prioritise tackling it.

“We use reports from multiple passengers to secure the strongest possible sentences for sex offenders.”

He added the behaviour of the man in Ms Gibbon’s case was “completely unacceptable”.

“I want everyone to know that acting like this on the rail network has serious consequences,” he continued.

“Our officers are on patrol 24/7 and can meet trains at the next station. If it happens on the Tube and you don’t have signal, you can speak to staff or text us at the next station.

“Nothing is too small to report and sexual harassment is never your fault.”

Siwan Hayward, from Transport for London (TfL), said the organisation was “deeply sorry” about “this horrific incident on our network”.

“The safety of women and girls is an absolute priority for us and we are committed to tackling sexual harassment, working closely with the police to make our capital’s transport network a hostile place for offenders.”