Crime has been on the rise at many north London Tube stations – as reports have more than doubled at various spots.

Data from the British Transport Police shows that people commuting on the Tube reported more issues between March 2023 and February 2024 than they did in the previous year.

Specifically, several stations in and near Hampstead and Highgate have had more issues raised, with just a few seeing an improvement out of 26 stations looked at.

Which stations were the most 'dangerous'?

Crime hiked at East Finchley, with 38 issues reported in 2023-2024, compared to 19 in 2022-2023.

With 3,735,153 passengers at the station per year, public order appeared to be the biggest concern at this station. In fact the number of these reports per 100,000 passengers increased from 0.16 to 0.29.

Perhaps one of East Finchley's most noteworthy crimes is the unsolved murder of Anthony Littler, whose lifeless body was found in an alleyway opposite the Tube station just after midnight on May 1, 1984.

Ham & High: Anthony Littler was murdered in an alleyway outside East Finchley Tube station in 1984Anthony Littler was murdered in an alleyway outside East Finchley Tube station in 1984 (Image: Alex Marsh/Metropolitan Police)

The West Hampstead underground station on was another hotspot in the area – with 33 crimes reported between March 2023 and February 2024, compared to 14 the previous year.

And West Hampstead Thameslink station was another station where reports were on the rise, with 30 crimes recorded between March 2023 and February 2024, compared to just 12 the year before.

These offences per 100,000 passengers have jumped from 0.65 to 1.62 at the Thameslink station, compared to 0.25 to 0.6 at the underground station.

While it may be no surprise, Hampstead station was far from a hotspot with just 11 crime alerts, however this was still more than the six the year before – an increase from 0.26 to 0.47 per 100,000 passengers.

Similarly, Hampstead Heath had 10 crimes recorded, with just five the year below – a slight increase from 0.25 to 0.47 per 100,000.

Highgate station, which sees 2,884,629 passengers per year, had more reports between 2023 to 2024 [24], whilst the year before had 10 reports.

Which stations saw an improvement?

It seems that Finchley Road station has become somewhat safer, with just 28 crimes reported between 2023 to 2024, compared to 31 the year before.

Kentish Town station has stayed relatively the same, but there was a drop from eight in 2022 to 2023 to five in the next year.

Unlike the other West Hampstead stations, West Hampstead Overground had just eight crimes between 2023 and 2024, compared to 18 the year before – meaning that per 100,000 passengers, this dropped from 0.75 to 0.33.

Kilburn High Road also saw a decrease in issues reported – with just four in 2023 to 2024, compared to 10 the year before.

Should you be worried?

Although many stations have had a steady increase in issues reported, the British Transport Police assures that "hundreds of millions" are able to travel safely each year without issues.

The force said: "Crime statistics need to be viewed in context. For instance, busy stations will inevitably generate more reported crime than those that are less busy.

"Crime statistics are not always accurate indicators of risk. Police activity to target particular offences, changes in reporting patterns and other factors can affect reported crime figures."

It added: "Dramatic fluctuations, whether up or down, can be misleading, and, if misused, statistics can contribute to the fear of crime. Hundreds of millions of passenger journeys are made safely each year and the statistics should be viewed in that context."