Crime Falls on Borough's Buses

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And journeys are safer across the Capital

Crime on buses in Hammersmith and Fulham has fallen by 4% in a year with 623 offences committed between April 2009 and March this year, compared with 646 over the previous 12-months.

This trend continues throughout London, with passengers less likely to be the victim of crime on a bus, according to new figures from Transport for London. The number of crimes across the capital has fallen to its lowest level for six years – down by 2,000 offences.

David Brown, Managing Director of Surface Transport at TfL, says: 'With only 11 crimes per million passenger journeys Londoners should be reassured that it is safer than ever to travel on the network and they are very unlikely to be a victim of crime when on our buses.

In Hammersmith & Fulham, the number of thefts on buses fell from 296 in 2008/09 to 264 in 2009/10. The number of drugs offences fell from 14 to 8 while "violence against the person" fell from 255 to 245 in the same period.

Recruiting 440 additional officers to police transport hubs across London –  including Hammersmith Broadway and Shepherds Bush – was given by TfL as one of the reasons for the decline.

Hammersmith Broadway is the capital’s second busiest transport interchange and also benefits from a dispersal zone which allows the Police to banish troublemakers if they are causing intimidation, harassment, alarm or distress. If they refuse to go they can be arrested.

H&F Council says it is also putting more bobbies on the beat by contributing £1.8 million a year for 60 extra town centre beat Police officers in the borough’s three major town centres.