Crime on public transport jumps

A Metrolink tram

MORE assaults, criminal damage, robberies and thefts have been recorded by Transport for Greater Manchester in a new report that shows incidents on public transport have jumped by 14 per cent

Greater Manchester’s Travelsafe Unit (TSU) — a squad of police and security officers which patrols the network — made 196 arrests between April 2015 and February 2016. The unit boarded 16,234 vehicles and issued 10,313 fixed-penalty notices for ticket offences.

But there was an eight per cent reduction in the number of incidents of anti-social behaviour compared with the same period the previous year.

Reported incidents of substance misuse fell by 27 per cent and other crimes and incidents were down by 61 per cent.

TfGM’s Metrolink director Peter Cushing said: “Considering the tens of millions of journeys made across the bus and tram networks every year, public transport is undoubtedly a safe way to travel and the TSU is doing a phenomenal job keeping commuters even safer.

“The increase we’ve seen in the number of reported incidents — many of which relate to low-level nuisance behaviour — will, in part, stem from the TSU’s extensive patrolling of the networks and their engagement with our communities, both of which increases confidence in the public to report crime and anti-social behaviour.

“But they also reflect a trend across Greater Manchester, which reinforces the need to take a proactive, collaborative approach to tackling these issues.”

TfGM intends to enlarge the unit to continue to keep travellers safer