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Written question asked by Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party) on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 16 October 2026. It was answered by Keir Mather (Labour) on Thursday, 22 October 2026 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Railway Stations: Theft

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to work with police to deter thieves and criminal gangs from operating at London Railway stations, targeting wealthy passengers.

Answer

Decisions about operational policing, including the deployment of officers at London railway stations, are matters for the Chief Constable of the British Transport Police (BTP), who is operationally independent of Government.

As the dedicated police force for the railway, BTP works with partners to keep all passengers safe across the network. BTP undertakes operations to tackle theft of passenger property and organised criminal activity, using targeted plain-clothes deployments and intelligence-led activity to disrupt organised criminal groups.

This work has delivered a sustained reduction in theft of passenger property and other volume crime, including high-harm offences.

Theft of passenger property fell by 9.2% in 2025/26 and this improvement reflects joint targeted prevention activity with industry partners, including safety announcements on the London Underground by serving BTP officers, high visibility patrols at peak times and improved use of data to identify prolific offenders.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
34642
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Crime prevention Greater London Railway stations Passengers Theft
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk