In April 2015, British Transport Police launched the Report to Stop campaign to tackle sexual assault and harassment on public transport. Everyone should feel they can go about their daily lives without being judged, touched or followed. Analysis by the PA news agency over more than a year has found that reports of sexual assault on the London Underground have soared. While some point to the Report to Stop campaign leading to an increase in reported incidents, campaigners believe this remains a significant under-reporting problem and more needs to be done to stop attackers before they have the opportunity to attack or harass victims . people around them.
The Tube is one of the easiest and fastest ways to get around London and people should feel safe knowing they will not be sexually harassed or touched at any time. However, stories of unwanted touching or attention to the tube are not uncommon. According to analysis by PA, sexual assaults on television have increased by 42% in the past four years. In 2015/2016, there were 844 reports of sexual assault. There were 1,206 in 2018/19.
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There are no CCTV cameras on Central Line trains, which have recorded the highest number of sexual assaults in the past four years. A total of 1,054 incidents have been reported to the hotline since the initiative began in 2015. From January to March 2019, 305 sexual assaults were recorded. The Victoria Line has the second highest number of accidents, with 645 accidents since 2015, followed by the Northern Line with 601 accidents and the Jubilee Line with 547 accidents.
While Transport for London says crimes are more common on busy lines during the day, figures released by the Mayor of London's office highlight that 138 sexual assaults have been reported on night trains since they were introduced in August 2016 event.
British Transport Police said they expected the number of reported sexual assaults to rise following the introduction of the Report Stop feature. Independent Detective Inspector David Udomhiaye from the BTP explained: "[The initiative] includes any form of behavior that makes [people] feel uncomfortable. This could be rubbing, leering, sexual comments, indecent behavior or more serious sexual assaults." He continued:
“With this campaign in place since April 2015, we fully expected there to be an increase in sexual offending and although it is obviously concerning that so many people are affected by this type of crime, it is pleasing to see that Victims of sex crimes who were previously reluctant now feel confident reporting the matter to us."
However, activists still believe that measures to prevent attacks are not enough. Andrea Simon, head of public affairs at the Alliance to End Violence Against Women, told the Guardian : “It’s not enough to simply encourage reporting of sexual harassment and assault. In addition to this, we need to proactively identify offenders and prevent them from doing so. them." She continued:
"CCTV shows them moving around the transport network looking for women to target, most commonly during peak commute times when the Tube network is busiest."
Transport for London has admitted that the installation of CCTV on Central Line trains will not be completed before 2023, which makes you ask, with reported sexual assaults rising significantly, what measures are in place to stop attackers? Siwan Hayward, TfL’s Chief Constable of Police, told The Independent : “There are more covert patrols on the Central Line than any other line and a work plan is being developed to install CCTV on the line as soon as possible from 2020. ” She continued:
“The campaign involves regular covert patrols by plainclothes officers on the Tube network, successfully catching offenders and encouraging more people to report offences.”
Campaigns like Report to Stop It are very effective in encouraging people to come forward if they have experienced unwanted sexual behavior on public transport, and help people feel heard and reassured. However, with the massive increase in reported incidents, it does appear that more can be done to help prevent attacks from happening.
