• Question by: Roger Evans
• Meeting date: 17 September 2003

Thank you, Chair. Well, I am grateful, Mr Mayor, that provided the table of the TOCU results for us because although without a doubt it has been a good initiative, the table demonstrates that yet again, like so many of your initiatives, it has been a central zone initiative. Certainly I am concerned that although residents in my part of London pay the same in Council Tax and fares towards this scheme, they are not getting the benefit that Inner London gets. Here we have, for example, Havering, where only 1% of the total arrests have been made. Another 1%...

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 17 September 2003

I share your view about the train operating companies, as you know, and it is ironically really that the one train operating company that actually does have a special constable scheme for its staff is Connex, which is about to lose its franchise. Do you realise that if you are successful in increasingly the BTP numbers of London Underground to 600 by next year, as you said a little earlier, that will then be double the number of transport police that cover the overground rail network from the Thames to the south coast as far west as Weymouth? Whilst that...

• Question by: Graham Tope
• Meeting date: 17 September 2003

In your press release last week about the TOCU funding you said and I quote I am determined to tackle crime and the fear of crime on public transport. You will be aware that millions of Londoners travel on overground rail how do you propose to tackle crime and the fear of crime on overground rail?

• Question by: Meg Hillier
• Meeting date: 17 September 2003

As I am sure you are aware, it is a very difficult nut to crack and Neil Gerrard, MP, one of my parliamentary colleagues has been working on it for some time and it is not as straightforward as that answer suggests. Have you considered in your fare packages now and for the future looking at a cut price evening travelcard, which would mean that there would be less re-sale market, which would seriously help, I believe, to reduce the problem?

• Question by: Meg Hillier
• Meeting date: 17 September 2003

As part of your commitment to improving safety in stations, what plans have you to tackle ticket touting, which is a particular problem in some of the stations in my constituency, including Walthamstow Central, Highbury and Islington, and Leightonstone?

• Question by: Samantha Heath
• Meeting date: 17 September 2003

Yes, absolutely. As you know, the Assembly are doing an investigation into protecting the environment but there is the perception of crime and the dumping around Tramlink stations and that does not really, as Toby highlighted, make you feel confident of travelling on the tram. We are going actually officially to Croydon today to have another look at it but we have had complaints and the perception of travelling on Tramlink. It is bit like zero tolerance on the capital standards extension to TfL. People do feel uncomfortable travelling on Tramlink and there is only, as far as I know...

• Question by: Samantha Heath
• Meeting date: 17 September 2003

Are nine officers enough to police Tramlink?

• Question by: Andrew Pelling
• Meeting date: 17 September 2003

I am always pleased, Mr Mayor, when you talk so positively about Tramlink PFI, the result of the work of Steven Norris and a Conservative council that put the PFI in place. The question I would like to ask is related to the tram that Sam asked earlier and also is related to the issue of what the flexibility is like in allocating the officers between the established routes and bus routes that are facing difficulties. Whenever I have spoken to you, you have always been very positive about intervening on the issue of the stoning of T31 bus in...

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 17 September 2003

Chair, if I could just say to the Mayor, Kate Hoey and I want to initiate a joint-agency meeting of all of those organisations, including the overground service and the Council, to try and tackle some of these issues. It would be very helpful if, as Mayor, you could throw you weight behind supporting that initiative.

• Question by: Valerie Shawcross
• Meeting date: 17 September 2003

A question about multi-agency working: there are quite a few areas around London Vauxhall Cross is one of them, just as an example, and Crystal Palace is another where there is a plethora of agencies transport police, TOCU, TfL, Southwest Trains, Network Rail, Lambeth Council, border councils involved in trying to manage the environment and the crime around often transport interchanges. Is there a better way of doing it because it does seem to me that frequently the common complaints that we get are at the places where the agencies meet, or in fact do not meet, and issues fall...