This White Ribbon Day (25 November), Transport for London (TfL) continues to take a stand against violence against women and girls by launching a 12-month trial of CCTV at 20 bus shelters across London, together with the Met.
The trial is designed to improve passenger safety, especially for women and girls, and ensure they can travel with confidence 24 hours a day. Tackling violence against women and girls remains a key priority for TfL and the police, and this trial is a step towards delivering the Mayor’s commitment to increase CCTV in bus shelters.
The technology was tested at five bus shelters in March, and now a further 15 bus shelter locations have been fitted with CCTV across Brent, Croydon, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hillingdon, Lambeth, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, and Westminster. These locations were selected to provide good coverage across London and to understand the effectiveness of CCTV in different areas. This includes busy locations with high footfall, quieter locations with less frequent bus services, higher crime areas, or locations where women and girls have reported feeling more unsafe.
The cameras will be available to the Met to help prevent and investigate crime and to improve incident response with live access. Footage, which only the Met will have access to, will be retained for 31 days to support police investigations. TfL will also gather feedback from customers and stakeholders throughout the trial to assess the feeling of safety and security for customers using the bus network. TfL is committed to making the network a safe space for everyone and the expansion of CCTV is an important part of this programme of work.
TfL has been a longstanding supporter of White Ribbon Day, a global movement to end male violence against women and girls. This White Ribbon Day, TfL has partnered with Tottenham Hotspur F.C, Fulham F.C and Crystal Palace F.C to raise awareness of this important topic and to make it clear that gender-based violence and harassment is not tolerated. The clubs’ top players have filmed messages focusing on providing information on bystander interventions, with content set to be shared on TfL social media from 25 November and over the 16 days of action. The three clubs will also feature TfL bystander intervention advertising within the stadium for November and December. TfL has also displayed white ribbons on its Piccadilly and Northern Line trains and trams, and the Cable Car LED lights have been changed to white in support of White Ribbon Day.
TfL is working hard to make the transport network safer in a variety of ways, with the introduction of mobile coverage across the Tube and Elizabeth line – including within tunnels – allowing people to stay connected while on the move. Large sections of central London now have coverage, and work is underway to expand coverage along the Northern, Victoria, and Piccadilly lines in the coming months.
As part of the Mayor’s strategy to end violence against women and girls, TfL and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) have also worked with ‘We Made That’ and carried out women’s safety audits in the boroughs of Hillingdon, Lambeth, Westminster, Waltham Forest and Brent. More than 70 audits have been completed by 50 women. Women’s safety audits help to better understand the perceptions and experiences of women, girls and gender diverse people in their use of public spaces and what is needed to make them safer and to feel safer. TfL and MOPAC are reviewing the findings to consider how audits can used to plan, design and manage public spaces.
Deputy Mayor for Transport, Seb Dance said: “Everyone deserves to feel safe and be safe at all times when travelling around London and it is the Mayor’s top priority to ensure the transport network is a safe and low-crime environment. That’s why I welcome this trial of CCTV at bus shelters, which will improve safety for women and girls and ensure they can travel with confidence.
“Increased CCTV will help to ensure the network is secure and welcoming round the clock, supporting the Mayor’s aim to continue building a safer London for everyone.”
Siwan Hayward, TfL’s Director of Security, Policing and Enforcement, said: “At Tfl, we are committed to playing our full part in ending violence against women and girls. We want women and girls to be safe and feel safe, and for the TfL network to be a beacon of safety for everyone, day and night. CCTV plays a crucial role in both preventing crime and antisocial behaviour, and investigating incidents. We know the presence of CCTV and other security measures improves confidence to travel and use public transport, which is why we are expanding our already extensive CCTV network. This is one of many measures we are putting in place, alongside our work with the Met and BTP, to improve the safety and security of people travelling on public transport.”
Met Commander, Ben Russell said: “The Met is determined to make London safer, working with our partners to ensure every woman and girl feels safe in the city they call home.
“This pilot will help protect women and girls, meaning they can enjoy safer spaces across the capital. It also aims to help us bring more dangerous predators to justice, with CCTV being used as a key tool as part of our investigations.”
Michael Roberts, CEO of London TravelWatch, said: “London TravelWatch research tells us that many people can feel unsafe when waiting for buses, particularly women and girls. This important and valuable trial will not only help detect crime, but will also ensure that women and girls can feel safer and more confident when travelling by bus.
“We look forward to seeing the results of this pilot and for further initiatives to improve safety on London transport.”
