London Underground (Crime) (Hansard, 18 May 1992)

§ 3. Mr. Booth
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the measures taken by the Government to combat crime on the London Underground.

§ The Minister for Transport in London (Mr. Steve Norris)
Serious crime on London Underground has fallen by 40 per cent. over the past three years. The police presence has been increased and London Underground has mounted a programme of introducing video cameras and other security measures at selected stations. I welcome the progress that London Underground has already made and I share its commitment to see crime levels reduced still further in future years.

§ Mr. Booth
Since the Northern line was the first underground railway to be constructed in London and as it is taking a long time to repair and reform it, will my hon. Friend say what is to be done on the Northern line to combat crime and to introduce other forms of investment?

§ Mr. Norris
My hon. Friend will find that the Northern line will figure significantly in his constituency correspondence. It is fair to say that in the past the Northern line had a worse reputation than it now enjoys. The Monopolies and Mergers Commission report specifically refers to the improvements that have been made to the Northern line and that line is the major investment project that London Underground will undertake after it has completed work on the Central line.

§ Mr. Cohen
May I congratulate the Minister on his appointment? Did he read about the appalling case of male rape that took place on the London Underground in recent weeks? Does he agree that both men and women could be victims of sexual assaults on certain parts of the underground because they are unsafe? Will he call for a full review of safety for passengers so that there is video camera surveillance and staff who can supervise the video cameras and also act if assaults occur?

§ Mr. Norris
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his kind remarks. I quite understand and appreciate his concern about an appalling crime recently committed on a young man on the underground. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will consider that crime in the context of a very considerable reduction in crime on the underground including, thankfully, a substantial reduction in violent crime. It is worth reminding the travelling public that the 4 precautions that are appropriate when travelling anywhere in a large city are just as appropriate even now on the London underground.

§ Mr. John Marshall
I congratulate my hon. Friend the Minister on his appointment. Would he and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State be willing to come and savour the delights of the Northern line? Its reputation is not quite as high as my hon. Friend indicated.

§ Mr. Tony Banks
The Minister cannot get his BMW down the Northern line.

§ Mr. Norris
I thank my hon. Friend for his comments. I certainly intend to savour the delights of the Northern line, whether or not the car park is large enough to accommodate any particular type of car.

§ Ms. Ruddock
I congratulate you, Madam Speaker, and the Minister on your appointments. Has the Minister had an opportunity to consider, and does he endorse, London Underground's company plan which includes reducing staff by one quarter? That would mean a reduction of 5,000 people, many of whom are uniformed station staff whom we believe deter crime. How will that company plan help to reduce or continue to reduce the crime rate on the London underground?

§ Mr. Norris
I am grateful to the hon. Lady for her kind words and for the opportunity to make it plain that the objective of the London Underground company plan is a more efficient, effective and safe rail system. The hon. Lady will know that the reductions in numbers are largely accounted for by the very substantially increased levels of investment. I am sure that she is also aware of the assurances that London Underground has certainly given to me that passengers will see an increased staff presence. There will be more frequent patrols of platforms. British Transport police will be deployed more effectively and video coverage will be extended.