Robert Jenrick has taken the law into his own hands by challenging Tube fare dodgers in a social media video criticising London mayor Sadiq Khan.
The Conservative shadow justice secretary posted a video of himself challenging people walking through the barriers without paying at Stratford station in Newham, east London.
Newham is the third most deprived local authority area in the capital, according to the latest census data.
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However, Mr Jenrick said one in 25 people using London’s public transport are not paying for it, and accused Mr Khan of “driving a proud city into the ground”.
“Lawbreaking is out of control. He’s not acting. So, I did,” Mr Jenrick said in the caption.
Mr Jenrick could be seen approaching people slipping through the barriers and asking them if they think “it is alright not to pay”.
He was met with indignation, with one man telling him to “f*** off” and another saying: “I’m warning you now, move!”
Mr Jenrick asked one man if he said he was carrying a knife.
Mr Jenrick said Sadiq Khan is failing to clamp down on fare dodgers. Pic: PA
The Conservative MP said there were eight enforcement officers nearby but people were going through an open barrier without paying.
At one point, he could be seen bringing one of the fare dodgers to a group of British Transport Police officers who took the man aside for questioning.
Mr Jenrick said it is “the same with bike theft, phone theft, tool theft, shoplifting, drugs in town centres, weird Turkish barber shops”.
“It’s all chipping away at society,” he said.
“The state needs to reassert itself and go after lawbreakers.”
Another Jenrick video to boost his profile
This is the latest video from Robert Jenrick that’s trying to tap into the well-documented frustrations many have in the country that low-level crime is eroding away at civil society.
Being tough on crime is not an unusual stance for any politician to adopt, but what’s a bit different about this approach is the shadow justice secretary is packaging up the message in a slick and provocative format that’s explicitly designed for social media.
It has the effect of appealing to supporters whilst also enraging critics, giving the end result of boosting its prominence online and boosting the profile of this ambitious frontbencher too.
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A British Transport Police spokesman said: “Ticket fraud is not a victimless crime – the cost is passed down to the honest fare-paying members of the travelling public.
“We are committed to working closely alongside the railway industry to tackle fare evasion and regularly support them with high visibility patrols at known hotspot locations.”
Fare evasion costs Transport for London (TfL) £130m a year, with YouGov finding 79% of passengers saying they have personally seen fare dodging.
In April, the mayor announced a new fare evasion strategy involving expanding TfL’s team of more than 500 uniformed officers already deployed across the network to deal with fare evasion and other anti-social behaviour.
