Female off-duty police officer beaten by mob at London Tube station after challenging fare dodgers
5 July 2025, 13:15 | Updated: 5 July 2025, 13:57
Detectives are investigating the assault of a female off-duty who was punched and kicked by a mob when she challenged them for fare-dodging in north London.
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The British Transport Police said she also had a drink thrown over her head during the incident at Wood Green Underground Station at around 4.20pm on Thursday June 12.
It has now released CCTV footage of four men and two women as they believe they could have information which could help their investigation.
In a statement, it said: "At around 4.20pm on Thursday 12 June the victim, an off duty police officer, challenged a group of people who attempted to barge through the barrier without tickets.
"She was then set upon by the group who punched and kicked her and threw a drink over her head.
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"Officers would like to speak to the people pictured as they believe they could have information which could help their investigation."
Anyone who recognises them is asked to contact British Transport Police by texting 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference 453 of 12 June.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
In April, Transport for London (TfL) announced new measures aimed at slashing the number of fare dodgers.
Around one in 29 public transport users in London do not pay the correct fare, costing TfL £130 million annually.
The crackdown includes targeting the most prolific fare evaders and using advanced technology.
Siwan Hayward, TfL’s director of security, policing and enforcement, said the “overwhelming majority” of passengers pay the correct fare, but there is “a minority who do attempt to travel without a valid ticket, which is a criminal offence”.
She went on: “Fare evasion is unacceptable. That is why we are strengthening our capability to deter and detect fare evaders, including expanding our team of professional investigators to target the most prolific fare evaders across the network.
“This builds on the work of our team of more than 500 uniformed officers already deployed across the network to deal with fare evasion and other anti-social behaviour, keeping staff and customers safe.
“Fare evasion is not a victimless crime. It robs Londoners of vital investment in a safe, frequent and reliable transport network and we are committed to reducing the current rate of fare evasion to 1.5% by 2030.”
