Union urges end to Underground ‘austerity’ as crimes rise

The number of crimes committed on London Underground rose by more than a third in the six months from April to September this year, pushing the crime rate for each million passengers up from 13.7 to 18.6. There is particular concern about thefts and robberies, because thefts were up by 83 per cent and robberies by 107 per cent. The RMT has called for an end to ‘austerity’ measures which can potentially reduce the deployment of staff on duty.