Tough times in the Underground

Press, 2 October 1979, Page 27

Tough times in the Underground

By

KEN COATES

in London

"A serious assault took place here on February 14; anyone who saw it should inform London Transport.” This chalk-written sign appears in the busy Piccadilly Circus station of the London Underground. It emphasises a growing problem in London — bashings, thefts, and assaults in the 240-mile labyrinth of tracks and miles of pedestrian tunnels that make up the underground railway system. Two New Zealand women newly arrived in London had startling experiences in the daytime. Near Marylebone Station, at the bottom of an escalator during a lull when no-one else was about, a man lunged from the shadows making guttural noises. The next day, the daughter of one of them, jammed into a train during rush hour, felt the wandering hand of a person whose chest she was thrust against, undoing her jeans. She cried out that the man with whom she was cheek-by-jowl was trying to molest her. British male chivalry came to the fore, and there were hoots of “cad,” and “bounder.” A military-looking man,

middle-aged with a bushy moustache and camel-hair coat, dressed the fellow down. The fingerer melted into the crowd. Not so lucky was a spinster, aged 54. who. a London Court heard, was raped in a train running from Clapham to Waterloo. When the brightly lit carriage drew into Waterloo Station the rape was still going on. but a group of Post Office workers watched in amusement and wandered away without calling for help. A passenger eventually raised the alarm. London Transport’s latest figures show that during the last year, 154 assaults causing bodily harm occurred in the Underground. In addition, 54 of the staff were injured. Of these, 61 were indecent assaults om women and girls; and five were indecent assaults on males. The Underground trains are fast and efficient, but the system is a warm haven during the present Arctic weather. More of the city’s drifters seem to be seeking refuge in the Underground. London Transport has admitted that it is con-

cerned about the problem, and has instructed staff to move on anyone seen loitering. it also has closedcircuit television in all main stations. Regular patrols arc also mounted by the British Transport Police, and there are big signs everywhere warning against pick-pockets and bag-snat-chers. London Transport has said that there is no proof that more assaults occur in the Underground than in any other dark and secluded area, or that drifters are to blame. Anyone could be a suspect for n assault, said a spokesmen "We carry 546 M passengers a year, and a daily average of 1.75 M each week-day," the spokesman said. “We don't want to give the idea that the Underground is unsafe for visitors or anyone else. "There are cities in the world in which Underground railways are not safe at nights, but we are concerned about this,” Every night about 1 am. when the last train has run, London Transport Officials inspect every dark nook and cranny to make sure that no-one is lurking for the night. The first trains run again about 4 a.m.