Transport for LondonTransport Policing and Enforcement Directorate
Skip to navigation << Back to indexIn 2002/03, a strategic step was taken towards ending crime and the fear of crime on London's bus routes by establishing the Transport Operation Command Unit (TOCU). This partnership with the Metropolitan Police Service provides 530 officers (930 officers by the end of 2003/04) dedicated to policing London's 20 core bus corridors. The Unit is managed and alerted through an advanced control room enabling more rapid response to incidents on TOCU routes. Last year, over 1,700 arrests were made on the bus corridors and during taxi operations. More than 70 dedicated taxi operations were undertaken with over 2,400 vehicles stopped and examined (over 300 were later impounded).
In the past 12 months, the Revenue Protection team checked 267,000 buses and over 1 million passengers. During this period, 27,496 passengers were reported for possible prosecution and 4,489 passengers were reported for incorrect use of child passes. In total, 26,000 penalty fares were issued. A key challenge for Transport Policing Enforcement Directorate (TPED) in 2003/04 will be the development of new strategies for effective enforcement on cashless buses.
The Transport Policing and Enforcement Directorate was formed in 2003 to encompass TOCU and provide policing and enforcement services for TfL's operational services. Specifically, the aim of the TPED is to reduce passenger fear of crime on TfL's public transport services. It also involves enforcing traffic and parking regulations to improve bus flow, including dealing with the causes of congestion on the TLRN. Other responsibilities include minimising illegal private hire vehicles and touting activities.
Traffic enforcement is carried out through the use of over 750 bus-mounted cameras and 21 roadside cameras. Last year, over 1,800 vehicles were removed from Red Routes and over 300,000 fines issued for non-adherence to traffic regulations (eg. driving in bus lanes).
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