The latest TravelSafe Partnership (TSP) operation took place at Victoria Station on Friday 17th December with officers also visited by Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham so he could see how they are helping keep people safe on the Metrolink network.
Metrolink staff and officers from Greater Manchester Police and the British Transport Police were deployed to Victoria to reassure the travelling public and to deter antisocial behaviour on what is traditionally “Mad Friday” before Christmas.
During his visit the Mayor saw at first-hand how specialist resources such as drones and dog units are used to crack down on crime and anti social behaviour.
Andy Burnham said: ““It’s the Friday before Christmas, it’s one of the busiest nights of the year and I wanted to show my support for our TravelSafe team. It’s all about keeping people safe on our public transport system, and I’ve heard the Greater Manchester public this year saying very clearly that they want more visible presence on our buses and our trams and I’m here to say that we hear you, but also to thank the team. It’s been challenging over the last two years because of the pandemic and maybe people have lost a little bit of confidence about going on public transport, so it’s really important to reassure people. The message to the public is that we take your safety very seriously and we’re working with GMP, BTP and our own Metrolink staff to make sure our public transport system is a safe place to be.”
During the operation at Victoria there were 3,200 ticket checks, 190 fines issued for fare evasion and 2,400 face coverings and 1,110 bottles of hand santiser handed over to passengers. One person was arrested for possession with intent to supply and another for a breach of a court order. 33 people were stopped by officers with 11 searches conducted. 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.
Alex Cropper, Head of Operations at TfGM, 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.”