Police officers have been given powers to remove people’s face coverings on the Victoria Line from Brixton after a spate of robberies.
According to the British Transport Police (BTP), robbers hiding their identities are mainly targeting teenagers on the underground route.
Section 60aa powers, announced by the force on Friday, February 2, could see people fined up to £1,000 or imprisoned for one month, should they refuse to comply.
Police powers including removing and seizing items being used to “wholly or mainly” conceal someone’s identity between Walthamstow and Brixton stations.
In an online statement, BTP said: “British Transport Police are conducting various initiatives in response to a rise in Robbery offences on the transport network at this location.
“In many cases, these offences are conducted by individuals who conceal their identities by using face coverings.
“The overwhelming majority of victims are teenagers. We are committed tokeeping the public safe and disrupting these offences.”