Eight violent crimes a day on buses

London: The scale of violence on London's buses was on Wednesday revealed.

An average of eight crimes such as stabbings, sexual assaults and beatings are reported each day - as well as 160 cases of criminal damage, fights, fare disputes and drunken clashes.

Documents seen by the Evening Standard show an increasing use of knives and the involvement of teenagers. There is an upsurge of disturbances between 3pm and 5pm as pupils go home from school. All pupils and students under 18 travel free on London buses. But violent crime is happening at all times of the day - even during the rush hour.

The figures come after Mayor Boris Johnson promised to increase the presence of uniformed police and police community support officers on buses.

Internal Transport of London (TfL) documents detail every "code red", when bus controllers at TfL's CentreComm are told by drivers or members of the public of crime, vandalism and disorder. In 107 days this year 838 violent incidents were recorded, along with hundreds more incidents of disturbance and criminal damage. These included six youths in Barking on board a No 287 stabbing a 25-year-old man in the head at 7pm, a 15-year-old girl threatening a 16-year-old boy with a kitchen knife on the HA4 in west London at 11am and more than 20 youths assaulting a man and a woman on a No 337 bus in Putney at 4.17pm.

Drivers are often in the line of fire with instances where they have been sprayed with fire extinguishers and CS gas. The growing problem prompted TfL to issue them all drivers with DNA swab kits in an attempt to catch thugs who spit at them.

Zero tolerance

Johnson last week pledged extra police to tackle crime in and around "bus hubs". He has also promised a "zero tolerance" policy against unruly schoolchildren on buses.

London transport bosses highlighted moves to increase police presence on buses - a change of tone from the previous TfL policy under Livingstone who said violent crime was not a major issue for passengers because of the low incidents of crime for every kilometre travelled by buses.

A TfL spokesman said: "The Mayor and Transport for London are working hard to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour on buses. Though buses are a low crime environment with 15 crimes per million passenger journeys, we recognise more needs to be done to make people feel safer."

In 107 days this year 838 violent incidents were recorded, along with hundreds more incidents of disturbance and criminal damage.