Around 100 extra police officers will patrol London’s trains and stations when the capital’s night tube services begin this weekend.

Just as many officers will be visible on London’s network during the night as in the day following a £3.4 million investment from Transport for London to help passengers travel with confidence.

All stations will be staffed throughout the night while British Transport Police (BTP) will be able to spot and respond to any incident, thanks to rapid response vehicles and the 13,000 CCTV cameras spread across the network.

The Victoria and Central tube lines will be the first to operate a night service, stopping at 51 stations on Friday and Saturday nights.

Crime rates on London’s transport network have fallen by more than a fifth over the last five years and after looking at 24-hour metro services all over the world, TfL found that crime is no greater during the night than it is in the day.

London mayor Sadiq Khan said the launch of the night tube will unlock the full potential of London’s night-time economy and support the thousands of Londoners who travel to or from work at night.

BTP chief constable Paul Crowther added: “Our role is to ensure that passengers and staff are not only kept safe and secure, but that they feel safe and secure, whatever time of day or night they are travelling on the network.”