Incidents of robbery on London‘s railway network were down by 18% in the year 2024/2025 compared with the previous year, 2023/2024.

The reduction in thefts follows an increased period of operational activity by the British Transport Police (BTP).

The increased activity followed a noticeable rise in reports of robberies, both on London’s railway network and throughout the country, leading BTP to deploy extra resources to tackle the increase.

1,527 robberies were recorded taking place on trains or at stations in London during the period April 2023 to March 2024, compared with 1,245 between April 2024 and March 2025, a reduction of nearly 20% and equivalent to less than one robbery for every million passenger journeys in London.

The reduction has, in part, been due to BTP carrying out dozens of operations on trains and in stations alongside hundreds of plain-clothed and uniformed patrols.

Specialist assets such as knife arches and search dogs were often deployed, with data and statistics being used to carry out the operations where they were most needed.

In September 2024, Op Invert led to an increase in anti-robbery operations and patrols, resulting in 591 people being stopped and searched, with officers finding 324 cases of illegal substances, weapons, or stolen goods.

There is usually an increase in robbery offences during the winter months, which led to BTP introducing the Grip team of detectives to fast-track enquiries into robbery, as well as sexual offences, as soon as they are reported.

Instead of individual cases being assigned to a single detective, they pass between officers on all shifts to ensure a quicker response to all lines of inquiry.

The Grip team works closely with CCTV and intelligence teams to identify people linked to multiple robbery offences and areas which are hotspots for criminal activity.

Working as a team, arrests for robbery and sexual offences happen quicker and result in a reduction in offences.

As criminal activity has been disrupted, there have been fewer incidents of robbery, with the time taken to arrest someone suspected of being involved in a robbery dropping by two-thirds.

In January this year, British Transport Police arrested four men on suspicion of various drug offences following a County Lines operation at London Bridge, while CCTV images are one of the main weapons in BTP’s fight against robberies on trains.

“The public’s safety is our number one priority, and we are extremely pleased to see the significant drop in robbery offences on the railway network over the past year. Data in 2023 showed a large increase in robbery offences on the railway network, so we put a robust plan in place to make the railway a more hostile environment for those intent on this criminality. Robbery offences will never be tolerated on the railway, and we are committed to ensuring the railway is a safe and secure environment for everyone. We encourage all passengers who see or experience crime to report it to us so we can take action. You can discreetly report incidents to us by texting 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40. In an emergency, always call 999.”

Chief Superintendent Chris Casey