Mayor of London Boris Johnson has hailed Shadwell DLR station as “a great example” of Transport for London’s efforts to reduce crime on the capital’s transport network.
The Mayor’s comments come as British Transport Police figures show a reduction in the levels of crime at the station since TfL transformed its dark and dingy entrance hall into a bright open space. Last year six crimes were recorded at the station between May and June, down to just one recorded crime in May 2008.
TfL have also published figures suggesting 75% of residents feel safer in it after the £2.5m refit. Commenting on these figures Mayor Johnson said it was “the right of every Londoner to feel safe when they travel around their city, and I am determined to make the transport system as safe as possible in order to achieve this.”
Improvements to the station include installation of CCTV cameras, converting an adjoining railway arch into an internet coffee bar in the station and removing large pillars.
Mr Johnson described the station’s refurbishment as “a great example of quite literally giving criminals nowhere to hide – where before it was difficult to see people lingering in corners or behind the huge pillars that were there, now it’s a wonderful open space that the community can use with confidence.”
Robert Niven, Head of Development and Planning for Docklands Light Railway (DLR), said: “The DLR has always been an extremely safe way of getting around London, but our programme of improvements are clearly making it even safer.”
TfL and the Mayor’s comments have been backed by Chief Supt Miles Flood of the BTP who said the improvements “really complement the work that our DLR Neighbourhood Policing Team is doing with staff and passengers to reduce the already low level of crime and make people feel even safer.”
