RAIL union RMT condemned job cuts yesterday after figures showed a “rising tide” of violent crime on the London Underground.

Data released by the British Transport Police (BTP) shows that instances of violence on the Underground has shot up by 43 per cent in the past three years.

There were 1,980 reported incidents between November 2015 and October 2016.

The numbers rose dramatically to 2,838 between November 2017 and September 2018.

Weapons offences more than doubled, while crimes of a sexual nature increased from 925 to 1,047.

There were 1,339 crimes at King’s Cross St Pancras station over the three-year period, making it the station with the highest number of criminal offences.

The RMT blamed job cuts for the growing number of crimes, accusing successive administrations of having “ripped apart” a culture of safety and surveillance at Tube stations.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “These shocking figures show the brutal reality of the rising tide of serious violence on the Tube network, and are backed up by the daily experiences of RMT members working at the sharp end.

“Due to the cuts programme we now routinely have reports of stations being left unstaffed and the safety culture being ripped apart as London Underground is turned into a thug’s paradise.

“Those cuts to staffing and budgets must be reversed and these appalling figures should serve as a wake-up call to those calling the shots.”

However, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has only called on the government to reverse cuts made to the police services.