Police launch scheme to reduce sexual harassment on London transport

Date: 22/7/2013

London police forces have launched a new scheme to reduce instances of sexual harassment on the capital’s public transport network, a report from the Guardian has revealed.

All of the 2,000 police officers who work on the city’s underground, overground, trains and buses have had full training to handle offences of a sexual nature and as many as 180 officers will be posted at stations.

The scheme comes in the wake of growing numbers of travellers feeling unsafe on the city’s transport network, with women feeling particularly under threat from sexual harassment.

Furthermore, when women are victims of these incidences, they often do not contact the police.

Ricky Twyford, Inspector and Manager of Project Guardian, the name of the scheme, explained that he wants the message to be clear that behaviour of this ilk will not be tolerated.

A survey carried out by YouGov last year found that double the number of women than men feel unsafe on London’s public transport at all times of the day.