Increase in reported sexual offences on public transport is “positive sign” that more people are alerting the authorities, according to TfL, reports Noah Vickers, Local Democracy Reporter

A hate crime awareness event hosted outside Kings Cross St Pancras station (credit TfL)

Online training sessions to help Londoners intervene if they witness harassment and hate crimes on the tube and bus network are being hosted by Transport for London (TfL) over the coming weeks.

The transport authority says the sessions will “empower” passengers to become “active bystanders” if they see others being harassed or discriminated against when travelling around the capital.

The sessions are being delivered by expert staff at Protection Approaches, a national charity working to prevent all forms of identity-based violence.

It comes after TfL last year said that an increase in reported sexual offences on public transport across the capital was “a positive sign” that more people are alerting the authorities when it happens.

TfL credited this trend to a poster campaign it had launched encouraging passengers to report harassment where they witness it.

The organisation said at the time: “Tracking research has not indicated any significant increase in incidents on the network, therefore the increase in number of reports is a positive sign that the campaign is helping to raise awareness of what constitutes sexual harassment and our zero tolerance approach to any form of abuse on our network.”

This year’s training sessions will take place online in March on Friday 21st, Thursday 27th and Monday 31st, plus Thursday, 3rd April – and will examine different scenarios of hate crime and harassment by encouraging participants to discuss the meaning of being an ‘active bystander’ and how to support fellow passengers safely.

The sessions have been welcomed by London’s deputy mayor for transport, Seb Dance, who said: “Everyone should be able to use public transport without fear of abuse and TfL has a zero-tolerance approach to hate crime.

“Londoners have told us that they want to be able to intervene safely if they witness a hate crime, and having the right knowledge can make all the difference.

“That is why I’m pleased TfL is funding free training sessions to empower customers to step in safely when they see harassment on the transport network. I encourage all Londoners to take part, and help us to build a safer, more inclusive London for everyone.”

A previous attendee of a Protection Approaches training session said: “I would absolutely recommend the training.

“It helped me feel more confident in standing up against harassment and prejudice. The tools and techniques discussed in the sessions have already proven to be useful and have proven to make a real difference.”

To join one of the sessions:
Visit eventbrite.com/cc/active-bystander-training-transport-for-london-3680839

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