Rise in drug and theft offences on Barking and Dagenham buses
Drug offences and theft on buses in Barking and Dagenham have seen a major rise since last year, the latest Transport for London crime figures show.
There were a total of 19 drugs related offences on Barking and Dagenham’s buses between April and September this year, compared to two during the same period in 2010.
But the increase, say police, is down to officers stopping and searching more passengers and does not necessarily mean more people are carrying drugs.
Theft and handling rose from 81 last year to 106 this year, while robbery went up by one, from 30 to 31 incidents.
Overall crime on Barking and Dagenham buses saw a rise of 4.5 per cent, with 244 incidents reported in the six month period in 2010 and 255 in 2011.
You may also want to watch:
The biggest fall was in criminal damage offences which dropped from 42 to 17. The number of violence against another person incidents also shrank, from 81 to 73.
Barking and Dagenham Supt Gary Buttercase said: “The rise in drug offences is because we are stopping more people with drugs on buses now - so it’s a positive increase. We are concerned about the amount of theft, so we are just about to increase the number of police officers on the safer transport team by three.”
Most Read
- 1 Watch the moment Dagenham man attacks police officer with sword
- 2 Fines for Havering landlords who put Dagenham tenants 'in danger'
- 3 Vaisakhi observed with ceremony at Barking Town Hall
- 4 Meet the singer drawing global audiences to her Barking living room
- 5 Images released of man in connection with robbery on train from Barking
- 6 Survey asks women where they feel unsafe in Barking and Dagenham
- 7 Street food market coming to Barking as lockdown continues to ease
- 8 'Terrifying' CCTV footage shows vandals take axes to cars of NHS workers
- 9 RSPCA appeal over video of dog 'carried' by collar in Dagenham
- 10 Barking fishmongers shut down by council after Covid-19 safety warning
Dagenham resident and pensioner Pam Barratt said she prefers not to travel on public transport alone because she feels vulnerable: “Over the years the buses and trains have become less safe. I wish they would bring back conductors on the buses - they always made me feel a lot more secure. It was silly to take them away.”