Under the proposals put forward by Mr. Massow, people would be encouraged to travel in three marked carriages in the middle of the train, with the hope that the installation of CCTV and the ‘safety in numbers’ principle would help reduce the number of attacks.
The moves follow recent statistics from Transport for London (TfL), which show that while there was a 14 percent drop in overall offences, there was a 41 percent increase in sexual assaults on the Tube and DLR trains between July and September last year.
'Why I grabbed the man who sexually assaulted me on the tube' — @UCLU_AEO tells @radhikasanghani her story http://t.co/bkiVLoZxp8
— Emma Barnett (@Emmabarnett) February 13, 2014
The public’s concern about safety on public transport was also demonstrated in a YouGov poll in October, which found that almost a third of women had been verbally abused on London’s transport services, while one-fifth said they had been physically assaulted.
Just read this from Ivan Massow and literally no words. Red carriages? Green carriages with CCTV? Stop Ivan. Stop. http://t.co/3Jedx9w666
— Jon W. Chambers (@jonwillchambers) February 11, 2015
A TfL spokesperson told Sputnik that although the increase in recorded sex attacks on public transport was concerning, this was due to an ongoing attempt to get people to actively record incidents.
“There is a massive police campaign where people are encouraged to contact police about incidents. There certainly might be an increase in assaults, but it’s also because people are being encouraged to report it more.”
The safe carriage proposals follow similar measures to those in place in other countries such as Brazil, Japan and Thailand, where there are designated ‘safe zones’ for women to travel in.
New audio interview: London Women Want Own Tube Carriage To Stop Harassment http://t.co/A3pHQMRjit on #SoundCloud
— The London Zest (@TheLondonZest) October 30, 2014
However, the plans for London would not include gender segregated female-only areas, but overall safe zones for all passengers.
TfL officials said they are working towards improving the safety of commuters across London.
A London Underground spokesperson said: “We welcome any contribution to further improving the feeling of safety on the Tube network. However, crime on the Underground is at its lowest ever level, having decreased by over 14 percent in the last year alone, at a time when passenger numbers have risen.
"There are around 700 uniformed police personnel on the Tube and DLR networks, forming part of the 2,500 strong group of officers who work across the TfL transport network, keeping customers safe."
“We have more than 12,000 CCTV cameras on the Tube, as well as on all London buses, and all stations and trains are fitted with passenger emergency alarms. We’re also currently introducing modern trains with walk-through carriages on 40 percent of the Tube network, which help improve safety by dispensing with the divide between carriages.”
