Crime has dropped at Ilford Station, police figures show

British Transport Police have carried out a number of operations at Ilford Station in an effort to reduce crime. Picture: Khayer Chowdhury (Image: Archant)

Speaking at an external scrutiny meeting at Redbridge Council on Thursday, January 9, Insp Stephen Morrison, station commander at Ilford Station, said the number of reported crimes has dropped from 80 to 66 in the last year.

From January 2019 to January 2020, 66 crimes were reported, compared to 80 during the same period in the previous year.

Insp Morrison said there had been 52 stop and searches in the last year, along with 15 arrests.

Compared to other stations in London, 66 recorded incidents is extremely low, Insp Morrison said, with Euston Station recording around 1,300 crimes in the same period.

On TfL Rail, Ilford has the third highest number of recorded crimes, with Romford second and Stratford first.

Insp Morrison said more operations are planned at Ilford Station as part of BTP's continued crackdown on anti-social behaviour in the area.

For comparison, there were 350 recorded crimes in Ilford town centre during the same period, Insp Morrison said.

Commenting on the reduction in crime at the station, he said: "It's a mixture of us being there and the Met Police taking out key people from the station."

Bicycle crime, public order offences, violent crime and thefts make up the majority of crimes at the station.

Councillor Khayer Chowdhury, chairman of the external scrutiny panel, added: "These new crime figures are positive for residents and commuters at Ilford.

"Thanks to our colleagues in the British Transport Police, the Met Police and council enforcement, we've been able to show total zero tolerance to criminals at Ilford Station.

"Drug dealers and petty criminals who harass local commuters and residents will continue facing the heat, often getting burned in the process."

Despite the drop in crime, Councillor Jas Athwal, leader of the council, said work at the station is not done.

"Redbridge Council have been working closely with the police to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour across the borough," he said.

"Hotspots like Ilford Station have been relentlessly targeted by our uniformed enforcement officers and special police operations and I'm delighted that together we have achieved a drop in crime. "Our work is not done, and we will continue to invest in our enforcement team and CCTV and ANPR cameras while working hand in hand with the local police to make Redbridge a safe place to live and work."