London Bridge tops UK stations for drug and bladed article stop and searches
Recent data analysed by Lawtons Solicitors reveals that London Bridge railway and underground stations see the highest recorded number of stop and searches of all UK stations.
The area saw 205 stop and searches between January and March 2025, conducted under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. This equates to six searches per week.¹
The findings follow a 15% increase in serious offences involving a knife in London year-on-year², as British Transport Police (BTP) look to crack down on bladed article possession in 2025. There were over 14,600 uses of police force at railway or underground stations in 2024,³ — a slight increase from 14,450 in 2023 — as police respond to the rise in knife-related crimes across the UK. A use of force is defined as a situation in which a police officer uses any ‘force tactics’, including handcuffing, limb or body restraints, use of equipment such as batons or irritant spray and use of dogs.
Other London locations, including Stratford railway station, Oxford Circus underground station and West Ham underground station, are also listed in the five highest ranking stations for stop and searches. Almost half of these searches involved looking for bladed articles or offensive weapons, whilst over a third of searches were for stolen goods. Overall, 35% of searches resulted in objects being found.
Regarding drug-related stop and searches, Redhill Railway Station, Dartford Railway Station and Euston Railway Station were hotspots. These searches, conducted under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, resulted in objects being found 55% of the time.
Only 10% of BTP stop and searches ending in arrests, while 70% of searches resulted in no further action.
Stephen Halloran, Criminal Solicitor and Managing Partner at Lawtons Solicitors, says:
“Under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, a police constable may stop, detain, and search any person or vehicle in a public place, so long as the officer deems ‘reasonable grounds’ that the suspect is in possession of stolen or prohibited articles.
“Stop and search enforcement is not without its controversy, with a detaining officer’s grounds for ‘reasonable suspicion’ often being contested as subjective or discriminatory. The officer’s suspicion must be formed from an objective basis, informed by specific facts, or intelligence related to the likelihood of finding the object in question. That means you cannot be stopped purely due to your race, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, disability, religion, or faith.
“Nonetheless, tackling knife crime and violence must remain a priority for police forces across the country. Knife crime has reached epidemic levels in the capital, and addressing the issue relies on combined work with communities, local organisations and enhancing law enforcement.
