A notice at Oxford Circus tube station advises passengers how to deal with sexual harassment. “You’re sat (ie seated) there and there’s this guy eyeing up this girl.” Then the drama intensifies. “He moves closer. She turns away. You should do something.” We are advised only to intervene if it is “safe” to do so. What this message advocates is an outsourcing of law and order.
Contrast this with the New York City experience. Subway offences have declined 16% over the past year. There were 850 arrests in January alone, a 47% increase from the same month in 2022. How was this accomplished? Last year, 1,200 additional police were assigned to the transit system. New York’s mayor, Eric Adams, explains his approach: “If my house is burning, don’t come to me and talk about fire prevention strategies. Put out the fire and then let’s engage in a conversation about how you prevent future fires.”
Jules Stewart
London
