After a spate of attacks on public transport in Greater Manchester – trams, trains and buses – parents are being urged to check in with their children to make sure they know what they are up to. Rocks, bricks and stones have been thrown at public transport over the past few months leading to injuries for both staff and passengers with the Greater Manchester TravelSafe Partnership (TSP) now increasing patrols to prevent similar incidents from occurring.
Kate Green, TfGM’s TravelSafe Partnership Manager, said: “These types of incidents are absolutely unacceptable, and we will make every effort to track down and prosecute anyone foolish enough throw objects at public transport. The consequences of this type of unthinking behaviour can be extremely serious for transport staff and passengers. Parents and young people should also be aware that the consequences for offenders can also be very serious, and a moment of madness or showing off could result in them being banned from the network or potentially prosecuted. But offenders can also put themselves in danger, as we saw recently when a child was knocked unconscious while bus surfing. The outcome could have been a lot worse, so we really have to ask – is it worth it the risk?”
Figures show that buses across Greater Manchester have reported more than 300 incidents of missiles being thrown over the past 12 months with trams attacked 145 times.
Although not directly affecting Metrolink recent incidents have seen stones thrown at buses on the Leigh Guided Busway (6th April – leading to a 21 year old man being arrested), object thrown at a Stagecoach bus near the Etihad Stadium (2nd April), a brick thrown at a Northern train in Clifton leading to the driver suffering severe facial injuries (February) and a log thrown into the path of a oncoming train near Bolton which caused a small fire and meant 100 passengers had to be evacuated.
Bev Hughes, Greater Manchester Deputy Mayor for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Fire, said: “This reckless behaviour is endangering the safety of passengers, drivers, and the offenders themselves, and it could also deter people from using our trains, trams and buses.Everyone using public transport is entitled to a safe and enjoyable journey – incidents of crime and antisocial behaviour on the network will not be tolerated. Through the proactive work of Greater Manchester Police’s Transport Unit and TravelSafe officers, we are cracking down on this aggressive, dangerous, and often illegal behaviour. This drive against antisocial behaviour has led to a 25% increase in arrests since August.”
Since January the TSP has held 28 specialist operations targeting known issues at 19 hotspot locations across the public transport network. Officers have spoken to around 8,000 passengers and issued 1,500 fines. Seven arrests have also been made.