Operation Hades makes it mark on Tyne and Wear Metro

Plain clothed police officers on the Tyne and Wear Metro have had an immediate impact in catching teenage troublemakers on the network as part of Operation Hades. This operation has seen undercover Police and Nexus staff board trains to tackle anti-social behaviour and catch any offenders in the act.

So far it seems that the campaign is on the right track with three arrests having been made along with a further five youths interviewed under caution in connection with criminal damage offences. The result has already seen a dramatic drop in crimes across the network with Operation Hades now three weeks in.

Sergeant Tim Hand, in charge of the Operation, said: “We’ve been absolutely delighted with the early impact of Operation Hades. It is still early days, but we’ve already made several arrests and spoken to a number of teenagers about their behaviour during meetings with their parents. Our main priority is to ensure that passengers can enjoy the Metro in a safe and hassle-free environment, and since Operation Hades was launched earlier this month, we’re pleased to have seen a substantial decrease in reports of anti-social behaviour across the network. Having plain-clothed officers dressed as ordinary passengers on Metro trains is clearly acting as a deterrent to offenders. That’s what Operation Hades is all about, and it’s a simple message – mess around at your peril because one of my officers might be sat in the same carriage. However, we won’t be getting complacent and we will continue to board trains across the network over the coming weeks and take robust action against anybody who brings misery to their fellow passengers or Nexus staff.”

Operation Hades was launched following a spare of anti-social behaviour incidents on trains between Benton and Howden which include youths kicking out a number of windows in a carriage near Four Lane Ends, damage to ticket machines and groups acting in an intimidating fashion.

Chris Carson, Metro Services Director at Nexus, said: “Our staff have worked closely with the police to take robust action against young troublemakers and vandals who think they can get away with it on the Tyne and Wear Metro. The undercover patrols have proven very successful in catching vandals in the act and deterring others. The message is clear: if you commit a crime on Metro property then you will get caught and you will have to face up to the consequences of your actions.”

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