Hundreds of police officers have been deployed to London’s Underground and railway stations in a dramatic crackdown on robbery, after a pregnant woman was punched during a phone snatching outside East Ham Tube station.
British Transport Police (BTP) arrested a 17-year-old boy following the shocking incident. CCTV footage and phone tracking led officers to the suspect’s location. The victim, in her 30s, was assaulted in the stomach in what has been described as a “sickening attack”.
The incident has intensified pressure on police and prompted a robust response across the capital.
The operation, led by Chief Superintendent Chris Casey, aims to make the railway network a “hostile environment” for criminals. It’s part of a wider year-long initiative that’s already slashed robbery offences by nearly 20%.
Reporters accompanied BTP officers during patrols at Stratford and West Ham stations in East London. The presence of uniformed and plain-clothed teams was highly visible.
Within just one hour, officers detained six young men aged between 16 and 24. These individuals were spotted in known escape zones within the stations. Four were already on the police radar. Two were caught with drugs concealed in their clothing near Westfield Stratford City. Investigations into those cases continue.
Officers also engaged with a group of youths wearing black balaclavas near a Subway outlet. No illegal activity was detected, but police made their presence known. A missing 15-year-old from Sutton, believed to be at risk of gang exploitation, was safely returned home.
Knife arches and sniffer dogs are occasionally deployed at busy stations to tackle the rise in violent robberies. During Operation Invert last September, 591 people were stopped and searched, leading to the discovery of drugs, weapons, or stolen items in 324 cases.
Several suspects are now facing serious charges.
- Jayden Gambrah, 18, from Uxbridge, is due at Highbury Magistrates’ Court charged with ten counts of robbery and possession of a bladed weapon.
- Teddy Kelt, 20, from Romford, is facing multiple robbery and attempted robbery charges. He is set to appear at Inner London Crown Court on 4 August.
New data reveals 1,527 robberies were reported on trains and at stations in London between April 2023 and March 2024. In the following year to March 2025, that number dropped by 18% to 1,245.
Despite the decrease, the figures translate to roughly three robberies per day on public transport, still deemed unacceptable by authorities.
The BTP has also rolled out “Grip teams”—specialist detective units that quickly take over robbery and sexual offence cases. By working rotating shifts and pooling intelligence rapidly, these teams aim to catch suspects faster and more effectively identify linked crimes.
“The public’s safety is our number one priority, and we are extremely pleased to see the significant drop in robbery offences on the railway network over the past year,” said Chief Superintendent Casey.
He praised the “proactive patrols” and the Grip teams but stressed that more work lies ahead. “We recognise there is still plenty of work to be done — every instance of robbery is one too many,” he added.
With London’s transport network under tight surveillance and crime figures beginning to decline, the message from police is clear: there will be no tolerance for violence and theft. The sharp, visible response to the recent assault on a pregnant woman shows that BTP is determined to reclaim safety on the Underground — one patrol at a time.
If you witness a crime on the railway, contact British Transport Police by texting 61016, calling 0800 40 50 40, or dialling 999 in emergencies.
