The Gazette has been asking if crime will increase when the Eurostar arrives – logically, there will be a net increase in the volume of crime simply because there will be millions of extra people flowing through the area. The real issue is whether there will be a proportionate increase in crime that is noticeable to those of us who live or work here. I am optimistic and think not – the transport interchanges and the streets around them have improved enormously in recent years. No one has asked me if I fancy some ‘business’ for a year or two and the days of ‘Class A Corner’ are long gone…. All views are welcome below. The following comes from the Gazette story at this link:
‘Last year drugs and vice unit Operation Welwyn – a joint task force between Camden police, Islington police, British Transport police and City of London police – was disbanded after a dramatic fall in crime and anti-social behaviour in the area.
‘But with an extra eight million people a year about to pour into St Pancras some fear King’s Cross will become a prime target for drug dealers, pickpockets and sex traffickers.
‘Chief Superintendent Mark Heath, of Camden police, said: "It’s a flexible machine and we have the resources to move about the borough. We can fight on two fronts – we do that now. We’ve got a stack of different operations running any day of the week.
"British Transport Police (BTP) take the lead within the confines of the station but if it’s there we will move with it."
‘Chief Superintendent Heath said "lessons had been learned" from the original Eurostar terminal at Waterloo and that crime in King’s Cross was projected to fall by a quarter over the next four years.
‘When pressed on whether he expected a rise in incidents after St Pancras International opens on November 14 he said: "I haven’t got a crystal ball."
‘He added: "We are monitoring it really closely – if we need to respond to it in a certain way we will respond to it in a certain way. It’s a really big and fantastic project and a crime prevention adviser was involved with the architects when it was designed. We welcome it to the borough."
‘Chief Inspector Jeff Boothe, of BTP, said: "We have five shifts of police officers providing 24 hours coverage of the station. We are confident that not only with the uniformed presence but also with CID we are well placed to provide an effective police presence at St Pancras International."
Kings Cross Environment 
I am also an optimist and I think the Camden borough police commander is being alarmist (or is just publicly preparing a grab for more police resource). Of course there will be an increase in some crime if 8 million more people transit through KX/StP. However, nearly all of these people will be “contained” within the transport interchange. For example, we will no longer get the hordes of people trundling suitcases between KX and the Thameslink station en route for Gatwick or Luton. So, like any new international passenger terminal anywhere in the world, that will need extra policing. But it’s silly to say this increase in numbers will result in drug dealing and sex trafficking and have an adverse impact on the surrounding area. I’ve not heard the Met police talk in these terms about Terminal 5 at LHR. It’s a throwback to the mindset when “railway termini” were associated with sleaze and crime and new railway stations just aren’t like that now. However, some of those 8 million passengers are inevitably going to end up seeping into the adjoining streets. The really significant change is the certainty that more businesses, cultural and leisure functions will locate here attracted by the international terminal’s proximity and that will certainly require more police resources.