Two people have been arrested in an operation to tackle anti-social behaviour on trams
Last Friday (December 17) the Manchester Evening News joined the mayor, Andy Burnham, Metrolink staff and officers from Greater Manchester Police and the British Transport Police to catch fare dodgers and deter anti-social behaviour at Manchester Victoria station.
It was the latest in a series of TravelSafe Partnership operations to make the region's public transport safer.
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Over the course of the operation on 'Mad Friday', officers checked 3,200 tickets, gave out 190 fines for fare evasion, handed out 2,400 masks and 1,110 bottles of hand sanitiser.
One person was also arrested for possessing drugs with intent to supply and another for the breach of a court order.
More than 33 people were stopped during the operation by officers, during which 11 searches were carried out.
Three people were removed from the platform for byelaw offences and two children were removed to a place of safety. A referral was also made for child criminal exploitation.
Mr Burnham told the MEN that he has been listening to the public’s concerns and hopes these operations will reassure people about taking public transport.
Mr Burnham said: “We have heard very much from the public that a higher police profile is wanted on our public transport.
“It’s about giving people the confidence to use the system. People want to see that there is some order on it and if there is wrong doing that it is dealt with.
“This is really important.”
He added: “Trams should not be a magnet for anti-social behaviour.”
Since October there have been 20 of these special operations, with TravelSafe Partnership officers speaking to around 17,000 people.
A total of 893 fines for fare evasion have been issued, and 15 arrests have been made.
Alex Cropper, head of operations at Transport for Greater Manchester said, said: “Passenger safety is of paramount importance to us, and that is why these TravelSafe Specialist Operations are so vital in inspiring confidence amongst the travelling public and helping to deter antisocial behaviour and crime.
“We want everyone’s journey to be a safe and enjoyable one, and through the TravelSafe Partnership we are taking an enforcement, engagement and education-led approach to make sure that it is.
“I’d like to thank the Mayor for taking the time to visit one of our operations to see just how much work goes into them.”
