The number of crimes committed on London Underground rose by more than a third in the six months from April to September this year, pushing the crime rate for each million passengers up from 13.7 to 18.6.

The RMT has called for an end to ‘austerity’ measures which can potentially reduce the deployment of staff on duty.

Transport for London has reported that although crime has risen, passenger numbers are down by 11 per cent. There is particular concern about thefts and robberies, because thefts were up by 83 per cent and robberies by 107 per cent. Almost two thirds of thefts took place on trains, at 61 per cent, while the rest were on stations.

The worst stations for thefts were all busy interchanges in central London – King’s Cross St Pancras, Leicester Square and Oxford  Circus.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: ‘These soaring crime rates come as no surprise to tube workers that are on the front line every day in this increasingly hostile environment.

‘RMT has been warning for many years that instead of an agenda of austerity and constant cutbacks we need decent staffing levels and investment to ensure a safe and secure transport network for London.’

Meanwhile, the RMT has discovered that one in three of its female members working for ScotRail have been sexually harassed in the course of their job, following a new survey.

The union said more than 80 per cent of the respondents revealed they had not reported the incident, with most saying they felt they would not be taken seriously. More than half also said they had witnessed female passengers becoming the victims of sexual harassment over the past year.