Mind your purse - London Underground safety tips

Stay safe with these London Underground safety tips – learn how to avoid pickpockets, keep your belongings secure and travel with confidence.

I am, in fact, writing this on the underground. Ever since I moved to London, I have been using the tube network. And unfortunately, there are people on it that are after you and mostly, after your belongings.

Here are some tips how to stay safe on the underground:

Do not scroll on your phone when you stand close to the doors

It’s a new trend from the looks of it. Criminals would get off the train or stand close to the doors while the train is at a station. Just before the doors close and the train departs, they would grab your phone and unfortunately, you can’t do anything immediately because you are on the train that is already heading towards its next stop.

Do not take your phone out when you are walking out of the tube station

This has been going on for a while now. Criminals on bicycles or e-scooters ride around and they can quickly grab your phone off your hands and disappear down the road.

Zip up your bags

Pickpockets often target the tube, so make sure you have zipped up your bag and ideally, you have it in front of you. Needless to say, do not leave any valuables in unzipped pockets.

Hold on to your bags

Do not leave your bags away from you or between yourself and the door. If someone could grab it and run off with you staying behind, move your bag.

The British Transport Police

Britain has it’s very own transport police. When in uniform, they wear black shirts and yellow high visibility vests. They have the same powers as every officer and you may often see them on the tube.

Maps everywhere

Fear you may get lost? Trust me, you will not. There are maps of the tube network above the seats on the trains. There are maps of the network in the tube stations. Right before your reach a platform, there will be signs which stops the train will go through. Such stops schemes can often be found on the platforms as well. If you get off the train and need to change to different line, look up – there are signs and arrows pointing you to each line’s location.

Members of staff in stations

Most stations are staffed throughout the day and evening and you can ask for help and of the staff members.

Avoid peak times

Tube can get very packed during peak times. Criminals use this is their advantage, so be mindful of your surroundings. If you need to travel on the tube at peak times, it might be better to wait for a couple of trains to pass before a train that is slightly less busy comes through.

Mind the gap

Please, really, do mind the gap! The tube operates with third and fourth rails that a charged with high-voltage electricity. You might be tempted to rush, but when it comes to boarding your train, you want to be careful.

The obvious ones – not to get yourself in trouble:
There are special Bylaws that apply to the London tube, some of them say that:
You can’t trespass – this means that you can’t go beyond the red-man signs telling you that no unauthorised access is permitted.
You can’t smoke or vape – you can’t smoke anywhere on the British rail network.
Have your ticket ready – most stations have barriers, so you need a ticket, Oyster card or a bank card to go through. Whatever you are using to travel, you have to be able to present it to a member of staff, who is checking tickets. Otherwise, you might be fined or even get a criminal record. And you don’t want that!

What to do if you become a victim of crime or witness someone doing something wrong:
Call 999 – this is the UK emergency phone.
You will need reception, so you might need to get out of the tube station. If your phone has been stolen, approach a member of staff. Remember to request the emergency service you need to speak to, I.e. police or ambulance.
Text 61016 – again, the message will be delivered when your phone has reception. This text goes directly to the BTP’s control room. Be prepared for someone to call or text you for further information.