CRIME on BUSES * UK - Three bus routes make '10 most dangerous' list
London,England,UK -The Tottenham, Wood Green and Edmonton Journal -16 January 2008: -- Three bus routes serving Haringey residents are in the top 10 most dangerous in London, a new report reveals... The number 29 from Wood Green Station to Trafalgar Square, the 73 from Seven Sisters Station to Victoria Station and the 149 from Edmonton Green Station to London Bridge Station all feature in the table of routes generating the most code red calls issued by the London Assembly transport committee... The committee's Crime and Disorder on London Buses report published last week reveals crime rates on buses remain higher than two years ago and passengers continue to feel less safe than any other form of public transport even though crime on board overall is relatively low - one for every 50,000 journeys...
Labels: crime on buses
posted by Unknown @ 6:20 PM
1 Comments:
Together with my collegaue John Biggs, my fellow Labour Member on the Assembly’s Transport Committee, I have spoken out against the Committee’s report into crime on buses. Although we welcome the Committee’s work, we have “serious doubts” about the motives of its Chair.
While this is a valuable piece of work we strongly dispute many of its findings. Both John and myself saw the same evidence as the Chair and we feel that in some places it has been wishfully interpreted to suit his existing prejudices.
We have produced our own minority report in which we rubbish many of the committee’s findings:
* The latest figures show that crime rates on buses have fallen to below 2004/05 levels
* There is no evidence of a correlation between recorded crime levels and the introduction of free travel for under-16s
* Anecdotal references to “rowdy behaviour” on certain bus routes are not linked to recorded criminal behaviour
* The table of “least safe routes” is meaningless without comparing the lengths of the routes or the number of passengers they carry
While each crime on our bus network is one too many, we feel there is little to be gained from scaremongering and reinforcing urban myths. The latest figures from TfL, which the committee chose not to cite, show that in the first half of 2007/08 there were just 15 crimes per million passenger journeys.
Free travel has been a huge benefit to London’s youngsters, especially for those from low income families. Some members of the committee are on record as opposing this policy and it should be no great surprise that they tried to use this scrutiny report to back up their opposition. The investigation found no evidence to fit their agenda.
I would like to reiterate our support for free bus travel for young people and strongly welcome the introduction of photocards which will reinforce that with the right to free travel comes responsibilities.
Our minority report is included in the Committee report as appendix 1 and can be accessed via my website.
Kind regards,
Murad Qureshi
London Wide Assembly Member
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