Transport for London (TfL) staff and their police colleagues will be raising awareness of hate crime and what to do to combat it. The move is part of Operation Safer Travel for All, which seeks to reassure passengers and give them practical information about what to do should they ever witness hate crime or fall victim to it.
Speaking to people across the Capital they will highlight that hate crimes will not be tolerated on the transport network and if anyone witnesses, or is victim to any sort of hate crime, they should report it immediately.
The launch at King's Cross St Pancras train station this morning, will see officers from the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), British Transport Police (BTP) and TfL meet and speak to members of the public about hate crimes, which may happen on the basis of someone's race, religion, gender, sexuality, age or disability. The #WeStandTogether campaign aims to reassure customers using London's transport network that it is a safe and welcoming environment for everyone.
These events are the first of a number of jointly run days of engagement across London over the coming months.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said, "I am proud of the incredible diversity of our city and I will not tolerate hate crimes of any form, anywhere in London. We must stand together and anyone who sees or is targeted by abusive behaviour should report it to the police immediately."
Steve Burton, TfL's Director of Enforcement and On-street Operations, said, "We care about our customers and want them to feel safe and secure on every journey they make. By speaking to communities and people individually we want them to understand that all reports will be taken seriously. We are proud of the diversity within our organisation and the customers we serve, and we stand together alongside our policing partners to say loud and clear that any form of hate crime will not be tolerated on our network.
We fund over 3,000 police and police community support officers dedicated to policing the transport network. These officers work in partnership with thousands of frontline transport staff to help keep passengers and staff safe. We are stepping up our efforts on this important issue to reassure our customers that hate crime has no place on our services."
People can report an incident discreetly by texting 61016 from a mobile phone or by calling 101. In an emergency they should call 999.
Martin Fry, British Transport Police divisional commander, said, "Everyone has the right to travel and work on the railway network without fear or intimidation. Any crime or incident of anti-social behaviour, which is motivated by hatred, will not be tolerated. We want Londoners to stand together to tackle hate crime. If you experience it, or see it happening, we want to know about it. People can report an incident to us discreetly by texting 61016 from a mobile phone and of course, in an emergency they must call 999."
Detective Chief Inspector John Oldham, from the Metropolitan Police Service Roads and Transport Policing Command, said, "The Metropolitan Police Service will not tolerate hate crime and it is committed to tackling it in all its forms. We understand the significant and often enduring impact hate crime can have upon people travelling on the transport network and we are continually working in partnership with policing colleagues to increase reporting, capture evidence, support victims and bring offenders to justice. We would appeal to anyone who witnesses or suffers any hate of any type to immediately report it to us so that we can quickly take action and catch those who are responsible."
Chief Inspector Hector, of City of London Police, said, "We want everyone to feel safe and secure in the City, and London as a whole. Our message is very clear - there is never any excuse for abuse, racism or hate crime of any kind, and we take our responsibility to investigate any offences of this type very seriously. We hold regular events and meetings with our communities who could be or feel at risk and offer reassurance, advice and support.
If you are a victim of hate crime, of have witnessed an incident that made you feel uncomfortable, do not suffer in silence - report it to police and we will do everything we can to help."
#WeStandTogether complements London Mayor, Sadiq Khan's #LondonIsOpen campaign which launched earlier this week (Monday 18 July) highlighting to the one million foreign nationals who live in London that they will always be welcome, and that any form of discrimination will not be tolerated.
