Five children – all aged 10 – who threw stones at trams in Manchester have recently attended Queen’s Road Depot to find out about the impact of their actions and to apologise to the tram drivers affected. This meeting – attended by the children, their relatives and the police – was part of the restorative justice process which will also see them agree to become young ambassadors for Metrolink and undertake cleaning and gardening activities at the depot.
The drivers explained to the children the impact their actions had on them and also passengers on board the tram. They were also shown pictures of the damage they caused and warned further incidents could result in a charge and appearance at a youth court.
Graham Lord Jones, Operational Security Manager at KeolisAmey Metrolink, said: “The children and their families were really engaged with this session; staff explained the impact this incident had on them and our customers and were warned that further instances of stone-throwing or antisocial behaviour would have serious consequences. This is the first time Metrolink has been involved in the restorative justice process and the children and their families were all clearly receptive to the warning and apologised to our staff and police.”