Central Line CCTV pushed back despite seeing highest number of sexual assaults

CCTV cameras will not be fully operational on the Central line until the end of this decade, despite promises that all carriages would be equipped with cameras by 2023.

The Central line is one of two London Underground lines that are not currently serviced by CCTV, although British Transport figures reveal it receives the highest number of sexual assault reports in the last five years.

In 2019, Sadiq Khan told City Hall that they were going “as fast as we can”, and that the first Central line trains with CCTV would be operational by the following year.

Four years on, the first train with cameras is not due to enter service until later this autumn, while the remainder of the trains will be fitted on a “gradual basis” over the coming years, with no end date in sight to complete the project.

This comes after women spoke to The Independent about their safety concerns on Transport for London services, after a viral video on social media showed a woman being threatened by a man who climbed over the train tracks to harass her.

Installing CCTV is part of TfL’s £380m improvement programme for the Central line, which also includes ensuring the trains are more reliable and are wheelchair accessible.

During a London Assembly meeting in October 2019, Mr Khan was warned that the four-year wait to complete the project was unsatisfactory, and would leave passengers at risk.

Facing questions on the rollout of cameras, London’s mayor responded: “They begin operation next year.  All of the CCTV on the Central line will be completed by the end of the contract period, which is 2023.”

In a heated debate, former Tory mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey said perpetrators were targeting the line — the second busiest in London — because of the absence of cameras.

Mr Bailey said: “You have been Mayor for three years. You could have started much earlier. Are you a bit disappointed we are going to have to wait until 2023? At the current rate, thousands of women will be assaulted in that time.”

Between 1 January to 19 December 2022, data from the British Transport Police showed that 781 sexual offences were reported on the London Underground, marking a 29 per cent increase from the previous year.

Similar to previous data released in 2018 and 2019, the Central line had the most reports of any Tube line, with 152 people claiming to have been sexually assaulted.

Reasons behind the delay to fit cameras into each train include the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the cost required to refurbish the 30-year-old carriages.

The Central Line Improvement Programme also includes a complete redesign of the train’s control and diagnostics computer and new traction motors, a new passenger information system and new seating. Installation has been completed on the first train, with testing currently underway before it resumes passenger service.

Speaking to The Independent, commuter Caroline Archer said that campaigns such as Report It to Stop It and posters warning against “intrusive staring” failed to tackle the wider issue of women’s safety on the London Underground.

“I’ve seen loads of things over the years,” she said. “Last Friday, a man was masturbating under a newspaper with his trousers down. I popped my head out and looked for staff but there was none. TfL may have CCTV on some lines and say it is policed by plain clothes police, but I’ve never seen anyone intervene.”

In March 2020, a woman told The Independent of her own experience being sexually assaulted on the Central Line during her commute to work, but was left without justice due to the lack of evidence.

A spokeperson for the campaign group Urban Angels, which was set up in the aftermath of Sarah Everard’s murder in 2020, said that CCTV as well as clear signposting for help was essential to improve women’s safety.

Through their social media page, women can anonymously report their experiences of sexual harassment, with the group receiving daily submissions of predatory behaviour as victims travel home.

The Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines are also without on-board CCTV but new Piccadilly line trains are due to enter service in 2025, while the Bakerloo is one of the least well-used lines.

Siwan Hayward, TfL’s Director of Security, Policing and Enforcement, said: “Everyone should feel safe and be safe when travelling around London at all times and the safety of women and girls is an absolute priority for us.

“We are committed to tackling sexual harassment and other crimes are working with the police to make the transport network a hostile place for offenders.

“As well as proactive police and enforcement staff patrols taking place across public transport, we work with the police to pursue all sexual offences using a range of insight including ticketing data, witnesses evidence and staff reporting as well as our extensive network of CCTV, which is in every Tube station.

“We encourage anyone who experiences or witnesses this behaviour to report it to the police or a member of staff so that we can take action against offenders and put the right measures in place to prevent this from happening.”

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London, said: “In absence of Government funding, TfL is unable to fully replace its Central line trains, nevertheless, the Mayor is working closely with TfL to upgrade existing trains by installing CCTV in carriages, replacing seating and improving accessibility and reliability.

“Everyone should feel safe on the Underground and ensuring London’s transport network remains a safe environment for everyone is a priority for the Mayor. The Mayor is working with TfL and the police to take a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of abuse including sexual harassment and TfL staff across the whole network are specially trained to provide support to victims and witnesses as we work together to stamp such predatory behaviour out.”