A London Underground worker who stepped in to protect colleagues and a passenger during a violent attack at Bond Street station is now facing the sack, according to a union.
The Revenue Control Inspector was carrying out ticket checks at the central London station in October last year when two men were stopped on suspicion of fare evasion. The situation quickly turned violent, with the men verbally and physically assaulting Underground staff and a member of the public, according to the RMT.
The inspector, who is a member of the union, intervened to try and stop the attack and protect others at the station. According to the union, the inspector used only the minimum force necessary to prevent further assaults. But he now faces disciplinary action from London Underground Limited for allegedly breaching company policy.
Attackers convicted in court
The two men involved in the attack were arrested and charged by British Transport Police and later convicted at City of London Magistrates' Court. The passenger assaulted during the incident has since written to London Mayor Sadiq Khan, expressing outrage at the disciplinary action against the inspector.
The RMT has also confirmed it will write to London Underground demanding a full explanation of how the inspector’s actions were assessed. RMT general secretary, Eddie Dempsey, said: “Our members must be able to protect themselves and the public during violent incidents, and their actions must be assessed in the context of the violence directed at staff and passengers.
“Violence and assaults are becoming an all too familiar feature of our members' working lives, and they should not have to go about their duties whilst feeling under threat.
“We will be writing to the Mayor of London and calling on London Underground to explain how it has assessed the inspector’s actions in the light of the violence directed toward them and passengers.”
Rising assaults on the network
The case raises concerns about what frontline transport workers are expected to do when faced with violence. It also comes amid growing concerns over a rise in assaults on Tube staff and the measures in place to protect workers across the network.
The number of reported assaults on the public and passengers on the Tube network climbed to 5,534 between April 2025 and March 2026, figures released by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) revealed. This was mainly driven by an increase in harassment and in common assaults, with both making up more than 80% of the total number of assaults in the latest year, the ORR said. The number of assaults was a record high since the statistics began to be compiled in 2004, the ORR said.
Fare evasion costs millions
Fare dodging continues to be a scourge on the Underground network, despite the works of courts and TfL to tackle the issue. The fare evasion rate stands at roughly 3.5 per cent, with around 400,000 evaded journeys every single weekday, costing the transit body between £190 million and £211 million annually in lost income.
A TfL spokesperson said: “Any violence and abuse towards our staff or customers is completely unacceptable.
“We recognise the difficult situations frontline colleagues can face and we are committed to supporting them.
“We are unable to comment further on an individual employment matter, but any incident is considered carefully and in line with our policies and procedures.”
