‘Unacceptable levels’ of VAWG and hate crime across TfL
The London Assembly Police and Crime Committee claim the police are failing to understand the “true scale and nature of hate crime and VAWG on public transport” and that victims no longer have the confidence to report incidents.
In 2025, there were 24,192 offences of all types recorded across Transport for London (TfL) services compared with a pre-pandemic average of 16,544 offences – a 46 per cent increase, according to the British Transport Police (BTP). Among these were 4,593 VAWG offences yet only around 3 per cent resulted in a charge or summons, while around 58 per cent of cases identified no suspect.
Hate crime incidents also paint a bad picture, with 1,724 offences recorded in 2025, and only around 2 per cent resulting in a charge or summons, and 66 per cent identifying no suspect.
The committee has today published its report: “Hate crime and violence against women and girls on London’s public transport”.
It calls on the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), BTP and TfL to establish a dedicated rapid response taskforce to ensure that reports of hate crime and VAWG on the public transport network are responded to within a reasonable, published timeframe.
It is also calling on TfL to commission and publish an annual, London-wide survey on experiences of hate crime and violence against women and girls on public transport, capturing lived experience.
Marina Ahmad AM, Chair of the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee, said: “Millions of people use London’s transport network every day, and what should be a straightforward journey, can turn into a traumatic experience for so many.
“Many Londoners, in particular women and girls, disabled people, members of faith communities, and LGBTQ+ Londoners, face unacceptable levels of hate crime and harassment on the network. We heard throughout our investigation that many crimes like this will go unreported, for various reasons, including a lack of trust in any outcome, the trauma of the incident taking place, and slow response times.
“Our transport network must be safe and accessible for everyone, yet some groups face the fear of being abused and harassed, and it is unacceptable to see this level of abuse. We want to see more done across the network to ensure everyone on our transport network feels confident in reporting instances of VAWG and hate crime, and more importantly, that they feel safe.”