By Samantha Jones-
Transport for London (TfL) is working alongside British Transport Police in set out clear guidance via a campaign in empowering ordinary passengers as customers of their service to safely intervene if they witness incidents of sexual harassment.
TfL has set up a campaign to motivate Londoners to look out for others by learning to recognise the signs of sexual harassment, and offer support to a person who has been targeted by an unsavoury character, and report any disturbing incidents to police.
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It is working alongside British Transport Police (BTP), the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), City of London Police and the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) to “encourage a culture of active bystanders on public transport”.
The campaign follows reports that sexual harassment and sexual offences rose by 175 per cent in 2021/22 compared with the previous year, which it attributed to more people becoming aware that “this behaviour isn’t acceptable and that they are becoming more confident in reporting it to police”.
Sexual harassment under the campaign includes a range of sexually motivated offences and behaviours, like rubbing, groping, masturbation, leering, sexual comments, indecent acts, or someone taking photos or film of you without your consent.
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The marketing campaign will be launched using digital and print posters across the network and will be amplified with paid media and integrated channels including paid social, press, employee comms, online content partnerships and sponsored podcasts
The Mayor’s Women’s Night Safety Charter also sets out guidance for venues, operators, charities, councils and businesses to improve safety at night for women – including better training of staff, encouraging the reporting of harassment and ensuring public spaces are safe. More than 1000 organisations are signed up to the Charter with more urged to get involved: Women’ Night Safety Charter
TfL is encouraging everyone to report anything of a sexual nature that makes them feel uncomfortable. There is no need to prove that it was a criminal offence or intentional to report it, the police will investigate
Passengers are urged to offer support following an incident of sexual harassment by asking the victim “Are you OK?”, or let them know that “What happened isn’t OK”.
Launching the campaign on Monday, TfL says sexual harassment is a form of violence, most often directed against women and girls in public places.
It added: “The safety of women and girls is an absolute priority for TfL and this new campaign is one aspect of TfL’s work to ensure everyone is safe and can travel with confidence.
“It builds on efforts by TfL and the police to tackle sexual harassment, with last year’s campaign highlighting various forms of sexual harassment that can take place on public transport and sending a strong message to offenders that this behaviour is not tolerated on TfL’s services.”
The advertising campaign, which will appear on buses and trains and at stops and stations, encourages customers to report incidents wherever possible to the police.
TfL said the high visibility of last year’s campaign has helped people to recognise and report incidents, but added ha while many feel strongly about the issue, very few know how they can help in the moment.
Research from London TravelWatch in 2021 found that 63 per cent of people would feel more confident in responding to a crime if they had more information about how to help.
BTP said reports of sexual harassment and sexual offences rose by 175 per cent in 2021/22 compared with the previous year, which it attributed to more people becoming aware that “this behaviour isn’t acceptable and that they are becoming more confident in reporting it to police”.
Detective Chief Inspector Nia Mellor of British Transport Police(pictured) said: “We are dedicated to ensuring every woman and girl can travel on the railway network without fear of harassment.
“Everyone has a part to play in driving out this unacceptable behaviour, and small actions such as offering someone your seat if you notice them looking uncomfortable, or reporting an incident to us can make an enormous difference.”
Det Chief Insp Mellor said reports from the public provide “crucial information”, which helps to build a picture of what is happening on the network “so we can identify crime hotspots, deploy patrols to catch offenders, and crucially bring them to justice”.
MPS Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe said: “There is no place for violence against women in London, everyone has the right to go about their daily lives without fear.
“Sexual harassment can be extremely frightening for victims and the Met fully supports this new campaign. You may feel unsure of how you can help in a situation like this and the guidance clearly sets out how you can safely assist and report to police.
“It is really important any incidents of harassment on the travel network are reported to us so we can take action and investigate any criminal offences.
“Research suggests perpetrators reoffend so your intervention or just reporting to police can make a big difference. We understand the importance of keeping women and girls safe in London. It is our priority to tackle all forms of violence against women and girls.”
Personal Security
The new campaign follows an instrumental report by London TravelWatch into improving personal security on London’s transport network, which recommended providing more guidance on safe actions passengers can take if they witness an incident.
TfL said the campaign posters form part of a joined-up national approach to encourage a culture of active bystanders, featuring a consistent message across its network. The campaign will also include editorial partnerships and other communications, including sponsored podcasts.
The campaign has been informed by research, including focus groups, the expertise of violence against women and girls campaign groups and the policing sector. TfL has also worked closely with hate crime groups and will be launching a subsequent bystander campaign later on in the year about how customers can safely intervene if they witness incidents of hate crime.
TfL stressed it is not asking customers to police the network. Its measures to keep everyone safe on the network include more than 2,500 police and police community support officers and 500 TfL enforcement officers on patrol, along with thousands of frontline transport workers, trained to support victims of sexual harassment present across the network, in addition to an extensive CCTV network.
The police also carry out targeted policing and investigation activity to identify and apprehend sexual offenders, it said.
“Transport staff, including bus drivers, are specially trained in how to support members of the public, and if they witness or are made aware of a serious incident, they will alert TfL’s 24/7 control centres and seek advice and support,” said TfL.
“They can also help customers report incidents to the police, if that is what they want to do.
“Sexual harassment training is currently being rolled out to all TfL frontline staff, in line with training already received by enforcement and bus operations teams. Advice and guidance are also given to frontline teams, travel ambassadors and colleagues across TfL on how to handle reports sensitively and with compassion, and reporting protocols.”
Siwan Hayward, director of security, policing and enforcement, said: “We operate a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of sexual harassment on London’s public transport network and are absolutely committed to ensuring that women and girls are, and feel, safe.
“We’re not asking customers to police the network, that’s our job working alongside the police, but we do know that customers also want to look out for and support one another if something doesn’t feel right.
“If it is safe to do so, there are ways passengers can help if they witness someone being harassed or made to feel uncomfortable.
“Small actions can make a huge difference and any reports help us to take action against offenders and put the right measures in place to prevent it from happening.”
London’s Deputy Mayor for Transport, Seb Dance, added: “Everyone should feel safe and be safe at all times when travelling around London. That is why I welcome TfL launching this new campaign, which will help Londoners to look out for each other when travelling around the city, setting out how people can safely support one another and highlighting how to report any incidents on TfL’s network.
“The mayor and I are clear that the safety of women and girls is a key priority and TfL takes a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of sexual harassment on London’s public transport network.
“This campaign is an important part of the mayor’s drive to build a safer London for everyone.
“As well as proactive police patrols taking place across public transport, TfL staff are trained on supporting members of the public, and this campaign provides practical guidance on how to recognise and report incidents.
“This is vital as all reports help TfL and the police take action against offenders. This will continue to send a strong message to offenders that sexual harassment will not be tolerated on TfL’s services.”
Accreditation
TfL London Underground (LU) recently achieved accreditation of the BTP’s Safeguarding in Rail scheme. This demonstrated its commitment to remaining passenger focused and ensuring every journey is safe.
Key parts of the successful accreditation programme include supportive and accountable leadership, dedicated training programmes for all staff, and clear policies promoting the safety, wellbeing and welfare of customers.
Michael Roberts, London TravelWatch chief executive officer, said: “We’re really glad that our research on personal security has helped to inform this important campaign – 63 per cent of people we spoke to told us they want to help other passengers when they witness something that’s not right, but often feel like there isn’t a clear and easy way to do it.
“This campaign will boost awareness about how to report sexual harassment and also how to support fellow passengers if an incident happens. Practical steps to follow that will help overcome the shock of witnessing sexual harassment and help put a stop to it are vital.
“Every report and every intervention matters, so we’re encouraging all Londoners to familiarise themselves with the campaign guidance and help to tackle sexual harassment on public transport, especially in an effort to tackle violence against women and girls.”
Sian Hayward, TfL’s director of security, policing and enforcement, who conducted the launch at King’s Cross this morning (Monday, January 16) said: “We’ve found that people just accept that these kind of things happen but actually we’re saying no – it’s not acceptable – it doesn’t ‘just happen’. It’s wrong and we want you to report it. Since we launched the campaign in October 2021, we’ve seen a really significant uplift in the percentage of sexual harassment incidents reported across our network, which is really positive.”
Mayor’s night czar Amy Lamé explained that it’s important for night revellers ‘to be aware’ of what’s going on around them, and to check their surroundings to be alert of fellow passengers. DCI Nia Mellor from the BTP added: “Our work with our partners is not just about creating a safe environment for the public, staff and our officers but on the flip side creating a hostile environment for perpetuators.” Flyers being handed out across the network from today state ‘SEXUAL HARASSMENT IS NOT TOLERATED ON OUR NETWORK.’
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