Sadiq Khan has come under fire after figures showed a jump in thefts on the Tube this year.
Figures obtained using a Freedom of Information request show the British Transport Police recorded 4,931 thefts on London Underground trains from January to September.
The total for the first nine months of this year is up from 3,993 across the whole of 2022.
Sarah Olney, the Lib Dem MP for Richmond Park, said: “People should be able to feel safe on their public transport, yet these figures show that Sadiq Khan is sitting idly by whilst thousands of thefts are occurring on his watch.
“Londoners deserve better – which is why the Liberal Democrats are calling for a return to local community policing which will help keep people across the country safe.”
She called on the Government and Mr Khan to “come up with a strategy to tackle this surge in crime”.
Lib Dem London mayoral candidate Rob Blackie added that Mr Khan’s “policies on policing are failing Londoners”.
He said: “Too many police are stuck in the back office or buried under paperwork rather than out there bringing criminals to justice.
“Rather than more press releases, the Mayor needs to get police forces across the capital back fighting crime to bring these figures down.”
The British Transport Police recorded 1,616 thefts on the Tube in 2021 and 2,766 in 2020, when travel was down due to the Covid pandemic.
The highest number of thefts in a month was in January 2020 with 838, then February 2020 with 721, followed by May 2023 with 663.
A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “It is vital that everyone is safe when travelling around London.
“Crime rates on the Transport for London (TfL) network are considerably lower than on National Rail services and these figures make clear the number of thefts on the tube are considerably lower compared to before the pandemic.
“TfL continues to work with the British Transport Police to ensure the transport network remains a safe and secure environment to work and travel.
“Due to massive Government cuts to policing and youth services, there has been a nationwide increase in crime over a number of years, but the Mayor is helping plug the gap by funding an additional 1,300 police officers, he’s taken action to revitalise neighbourhood policing and put record sums into creating positive opportunities for 300,000 young Londoners.
“But the Mayor of clear there’s much more to do and he’s determined to continue making progress by being both tough on crime and tough on the complex causes of crime.”
A TfL spokesperson added: “We know that thieves target busy places including our public transport networks and we are working closely with the police to tackle theft.
“This includes targeted enforcement action in hot spot locations with more than 2,500 police and police community support officers and 500 TfL enforcement staff, including plain clothes police patrols, using our extensive network of CCTV to pursue offenders, and crime prevention messaging encouraging customers to keep their belongings safe and report any suspicious activity to police.
“We continue to work closely with the British Transport Police to ensure that our transport network remains a safe and secure environment to work and travel.”
