Bromley Bus Crime Locations 17-Feb-2009

ID NUMBER	TYPE	ROUTE	BOARDS....	ALIGHTS....	DATE
13144B	Window smashed	Route 353	13:38 @ Orpington High Street	13:58 @ Orpington High Street	23/02/2008
13196	Window smashed	Route R7	12:59 @ Hawthorn Road	13:01 @ Hawthorn Road	12/03/2008
13352A	Etching	Route 269	15:15 @ Widmore Road, Bromley	15:56 @ Townley Road, Bexleyheath	07/04/2008
13452	Graffiti	Route R1	09:58 @ Orpington High Street	10:15 @ Chipperfield Road	29/01/2008
13462	Camera dome removal	Route 208	22:52 @ Hastings Road	22:56 @ Bromley Common	22/04/2008
13677	Window film removal	Route 208	00:39 @ Market Square, Bromley	01:01 @ Perry Hall Road, Orpington	16/05/2008
13833	Etching	Route 336	13:28 @ Turpington Lane	13:35 @ Homesdale Road	03/06/2008
14013	Graffiti	Route 261	16:05 @ Bromley Common	16:14 @ Widmore Road, Bromley	22/06/2008
14035	Etching	Route 261	13:08 @ Burnt Ash Lane	13:29 @ Bromley Common	09/07/2008

PRESS RELEASE

IF YOU THINK YOU'VE GOT AWAY WITH IT, THINK AGAIN

No embargo exists on this release

Operation BusTag is a Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Investigation Unit set up in November 2004 by the Metropolitan Police Service's Transport Operational Command Unit to :

• Tackle criminal damage being committed on London's buses
• Identify and bring to justice those who have committed criminal damage on London's buses
• Liaise with bus companies and other authorities to tackle criminal damage and anti-social behaviour

The MPS Transport Operational Command Unit was set up in 2002 to fight crime on buses, tackle illegal taxi touts; and assist with the control of traffic congestion - there are now more than 1,200 uniformed officers in the unit.

The Transport Operational Command Unit itself is funded by Transport for London at a cost of more than Ł70 million.

By the end of 2005 Transport for London fitted all of London's 8000 buses were with fully recording CCTV and there are now as many as 60,000 cameras fitted on the fleet.

London Buses carry 6.3m passengers a day on 700 routes across the capital.

Buses remain a low crime environment and anecdotally, buses are now cleaner - there is less scratching on the windows and generally they are much tidier.

Since it started in November 2004 Operation BusTag has achieved over 2500 arrests for criminal damage and throughout London during the past three years

Chief Superintendent Joe Royle, Transport Operational Command Unit said :
"Operation BusTag is an effective tactic in confronting people who commit acts of bus criminal damage and anti-social behaviour."
"Criminal damage is a huge cost to the public purse and we treat these offences very seriously."
"If you commit acts of vandalism on London buses you will be caught with the help of CCTV."
"We are very grateful to the public for their response and that they care about the environment."

Jeroen Weimar, TfL's Director of Transport Policing and Enforcement Directorate said :
"Graffiti and vandalism on buses creates an intimidating atmosphere which we do not believe our customers should have to put up with."
"The readers of your paper can continue to help us tackle this issue by helping the police to identify the images caught on the bus CCTV cameras."
"Operation BusTag is making a real difference in our fight against criminal damage on London buses and the message is getting through to those who commit these offences that they will be caught and prosecuted."

The number to call

We are most anxious to contact those people shown in the CCTV images because we believe they can help us with our enquiries about criminal damage which has been committed on buses.
If anyone believes they can identify any of those people they can contact us anonymously on the following telephone numbers :

	OPERATION BUSTAG	Tel: 020 7027 8950

	CRIMESTOPPERS	Tel: 0800 555 111

OPERATION BUSTAG FILM

The Transport OCU has recently made a film for distribution to all of London's secondary schools. It has been sent to all the MPS' Safer Schools Officers and Safer Neighbourhoods Officers, who will distribute the film to local schools.