Tory Mayor candidate Susan Hall pickpocketed by ‘brazen’ thief on Tube

The Conservative candidate for London Mayor has said she was pickpocketed on the Tube on Monday afternoon.

Susan Hall says she was shoved and nudged by the thief while she was travelling on the Metropolitan line between Finchley Road and Pinner at about 2pm.

The London Assembly member said she noticed that her wallet with Oyster Card and £40 in cash were missing from her pocket when she left the train.

Ms Hall said the incident showed crime in London was “out of control”.

“Crime in London under Sadiq Khan is completely out of control, and today I have felt the consequences of that when a pickpocket targeted me on the London Underground,” she said.

“We should not have to put up with criminals brazenly committing crimes in broad daylight, and I am determined to make London safer for everyone next May.”

Ms Hall says she had reported the crime to police.

The wallet, which also included her City Hall ID, was later returned to her by a member of the public.

British Transport Police has been contacted for comment.

Pickpocket thefts on the London Underground have more than doubled in the space of a year, figures show.

Thefts reached a record high of 7,899 in 2022, British Transport Police data shows – more than twice the 3,380 seen in 2021, when overall Tube usage levels were much lower.

The Central line was the worst hit last year, with more than 1,200 pickpocketing incidents reported – a significant rise from the 484 in 2021.

It was followed by the Northern line, with more than 1,100 thefts.

The Metropolitan line, where Ms Hall says she was targeted, was the safest line with just under 500 pickpocketing incidents reported.

But even this comparatively low figure marked a jump of more than 100 per cent compared to the previous year.