The City of London continued to experience low
footfall with the busiest area being the east of the
City. There had been a noticeable
reduction in the number of homeless and rough sleeping individuals
and fewer reports of rough sleeping from the public.
Operation Luscombe which aimed to identify issues
and support those who were living on the streets had restarted on
18 October 2020 and 12 individuals had been referred to support
services to date. The Inspector of the
British Transport Police confirmed that British Transport Police
were linking in with the City of London Police on Operation
Luscombe and also worked closely with Network Rail. The level of begging at Liverpool Street Station
had been significantly lower than normal during the COVID-19
period. In response to a question from
the Deputy Chair, the Chief Inspector explained that there had been
a funding change for Operation Luscombe but that work to target
rough sleeping was a key workstream and would continue with no
change to the existing model. Another
Member highlighted the need to deliver a coordinated approach
across other transport hubs and local churches.