Detectives have released CCTV images after a man was attacked on a train following an attempt to steal his phone at Woolwich Dockyard station in south-east London. British Transport Police said they want to speak to three people in connection with the attempted robbery, which happened shortly before 5.30pm on Thursday 30 July.
The man was first approached while he was at the station, where a woman tried to take his mobile phone from him. He then boarded a train, but police said he was followed on board by the same woman and two other people. During the incident on the train, he was kicked and punched, and the group tried again to take his phone. That second attempt also failed, and the phone was not taken.
Key facts
- When: shortly before 5.30pm on Thursday 30 July
- Where: Woolwich Dockyard railway station, then on board a train
- What happened: a passenger was approached over his mobile phone, then kicked and punched after boarding
- Phone: not taken, despite two attempts
- Police action: detectives have released CCTV images and want to speak to three people
- Reference: 633 of July 30
Police said detectives believe the three people pictured in the CCTV images may have information that could help the investigation. Anyone who recognises them, or who was at the station or on the train around the time and saw what happened, is being asked to come forward. The appeal is for information and identification; police have described the incident as an attempted robbery.
How to contact police
Witnesses or anyone who knows the people pictured can text British Transport Police on 61016 or call 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference 633 of July 30. Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. If a crime is in progress or someone is in immediate danger, always call 999.
Staying aware on Southeastern trains
For passengers using Woolwich Dockyard and other Southeastern services, the practical steps are familiar but worth repeating at busy times. Keep phones and other valuables out of sight when you are waiting on platforms and when doors are opening, and stay alert to who is around you if someone is paying close attention to what you are carrying. If you feel uneasy, move towards staff, other passengers, a better-lit part of the station or a help point.
If you see an attempt to steal from another passenger, do not put yourself at risk by intervening directly. If it is safe to do so, make a note of the time, the direction of travel, the station and anything distinctive about those involved, and report it as soon as you can. British Transport Police can be contacted discreetly by text on 61016, which can be useful if you do not want to make a voice call on the train.
Tell station staff or the train crew as well, so they are aware before the train moves on or the people leave at the next stop. Even when an attempt fails and nothing is taken, a report can still matter: officers often rely on timings, descriptions and CCTV from the station and train to piece together what happened.
A wider pattern of rail appeals
The Woolwich Dockyard appeal follows other recent cases on London rail services in which officers have asked the public for help. In a separate case, police appealed after a woman was assaulted on a Southeastern service from Charing Cross, while another investigation saw a father cradling a baby bitten and punched as his family was attacked on an east London train. Each appeal depends on passengers and witnesses coming forward while their memories are still fresh.
Around Woolwich more widely, officers have also dealt with large gatherings in the town centre, including a police response that foiled a planned TikTok raid on the Woolwich Tesco Extra. For passengers, the immediate point from the Dockyard appeal is narrower: three people are being sought for information about the evening of 30 July, and even small details from that journey could help.
Woolwich Dockyard is used day in, day out by local commuters, and an incident like this in the early evening will worry people who rely on the station. If you were there shortly before 5.30pm on Thursday 30 July — waiting on the platform, boarding the same train or passing through the station — and you recognise the people pictured or remember seeing the disturbance, contact British Transport Police with reference 633 of July 30.
