Two thirds of parents worried their children will be robbed on the London railway network

Over two-thirds of parents and grandparents are worried that their children and grandchildren will be the victim of a robbery while travelling on the London railway network, a survey commissioned by British Transport Police (BTP) has found. 

The data highlights the anxiety felt by parents and grandparents that young people who use the railway network may be robbed as they travel to or from school, or as they travel through London during the festive period.

As the longer nights and busy festive period continues, rates of robbery on the railway network may rise. To detect and deter crime and provide a visible reassuring presence to all those on the network, BTP will be carrying out intelligence-driven patrols and operations that will continue to ramp up throughout the Christmas period and into the new year.

While we know every robbery is one too many, data shows that there was less than one robbery for every million passenger journeys in the most recent policing year between April 2024 and March 2025.

The survey comes after data revealed 70% of perpetrators and the vast majority of robbery victims on the London railway are aged 18 or under, with most incidents taking place during peak times when children are travelling to and from school.

The survey also found that nearly half of all respondents avoid holding or using their phones on station platforms and on trains out of fear they will have it stolen or robbed from them.

Following a noticeable rise in reports of robbery offences on the transport network in London and across the country in 2023, BTP prioritised its work to tackle the rates of robbery and provide visible reassurance, engaging in dozens of operations across London alongside hundreds of plain clothes and uniformed patrols on trains and in stations.

Not to mention, detectives have identified and located countless suspects linked to incidents of theft and robbery on the railway network, with knives and weapons removed from the streets and prolific criminals like Teddy Kelt were locked away for years.

BTP Superintendent John Loveless said: "It is understandable and natural that parents, grandparents and guardians feel a sense of concern that their children may be a victim of robbery as they travel on the transport network, particularly with the nights having drawn in and London growing busier for the festive period.

"I would like to reassure those people by reaffirming that our officers are working around the clock to keep their families safe when they travel.

"Robbery is an extremely serious offence and we will always investigate every report made to us, regardless of whether the victim knows the specific carriage or platform location, and we encourage all victims to report such incidents so that we can take action.

"The survey highlighted that only half of commuters are aware they can text us on 61016 to report any crimes or concerns they see on the transport network. I would urge everyone to save the number in their phone and text us or have information you wish to pass on, and in an emergency always dial 999.

“Our officers will conduct immediate enquiries to trace offenders, taking advantage of the wealth of CCTV footage we have access to. Robbery offences will never be tolerated on the railway network, and we will continue to work hard to keep the travelling public safe.”