Thousands targeted with top Travelsafe tips

Over 14,000 children and young adults have heard first-hand this year about the importance of behaving on public transport – as well as the dangers and consequences of committing crime and antisocial behaviour (ASB) on the region’s buses and trams.

Children from 238 schools across Greater Manchester have received input from the TravelSafe Parnership (TSP) as part of its ongoing programme of school and community engagement.

They spoke to 11,368 students, aged between 10 and 16, about important subjects such as personal safety, ticket fraud and what can happen to those caught committing offences on the network.

The TSP also organised its first five-a-side football tournament, which included a presentation event at Rochdale AFC, and visited three university fresher events in Salford and Manchester. More than 3,000 students were given advice about personal safety and tips on how to prevent them becoming more vulnerable to theft or personal attack when drunk.

The engagement programme has been complemented by a range of enforcement activity, with officers undertaking targeted days of action and dedicated, intelligence-led operations in hotspot areas throughout 2018.

Officers have also used Restorative Justice to deal with youngsters caught misbehaving on the transport network. In June, a number of juveniles aged between nine and 15 were dealt with in this way after being caught committing a variety of offences, including throwing rocks causing danger to both passengers and the tram driver, as well as those caught ‘tram surfing’.

Chris Thorpe, TfGM’s Head of Control and Operational Support, said: “Public transport is a safe way to travel and our targeted engagement and intervention work helps keep it that way.

“We’ve been able to reach thousands of young people to make them aware of how their behaviour can impact both themselves and others.

“It also gives us a chance to break down any barriers that may exist and let young people know that our officers and staff are people they can turn to for help while out and about on transport networks.

“It’s really important that every member of our community feels safe to travel on public transport without feeling intimidated or unduly concerned by the behaviour of others.”

TravelSafe Unit Inspector Steve Henderson said: “This engagement programme has provided an excellent way for children and young adults to hear first-hand about the offences we witness across the travel network, and the consequences of committing these offences.

“Alongside the programme, we’ve also used restorative justice which gives children and young people the opportunity to understand the consequences of their actions preventing them from unnecessarily entering the criminal justice system.

“We will continue to work alongside our TravelSafe colleagues to ensure everyone has a pleasant and enjoyable journey travelling in and around Greater Manchester. If you do notice anything suspicious then please get in touch with us by dialling 101 or speaking to us via the LiveChat function on our website. Always dial 999 in an emergency.”

Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Bev Hughes, said: “The youth engagement programme is an important part of the Travel Safe Partnership’s work to help promote safer travel on public transport across Greater Manchester. Under this programme thousands of young people have heard about the dangers, impacts and consequences of crime, antisocial behaviour and fare evasion.

“The Restorative Justice element is a method whereby offenders are confronted with the impact of their crime and that in itself can be a powerful deterrent to committing further offences, especially to young people.”

The TravelSafe Partnership is led by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) with support from contributing operators KeolisAmey Metrolink, Stagecoach and First Manchester.

Under the TSP, a dedicated team of Police Constables (PCs), Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), Special Constables (SCs) and TravelSafe Officers (TSOs) provide regular patrols on the region’s networks.