Two people were arrested as part of a day of action tackling crime and antisocial behaviour around one of Manchester’s busiest transport hubs.
The TravelSafe Partnership (TSP) held the operation at Victoria Station and the surrounding Shudehill Interchange on Friday 12th October as part of an ongoing and proactive approach to community reassurance and engagement.
During the day, there was enhanced policing in place, foot patrols between the two locations and support was also provided by British Transport Police.
Dedicated and intelligence-led operations by the TSP means that officers are actively seeking out and tackling incidents of crime and antisocial behaviour in different areas of Greater Manchester.
Shudehill and Victoria were identified from TravelSafe data which showed an increase in the number of incidents at Victoria Station and intelligence around thefts from buses.
Figures showed that 60% of recent assaults (6 out of the last 10) have taken place at Shudehill Interchange on a Friday.
One of the arrests on the day was for a public order offence in relation to fraud and the other was for an immigration offence.
Officers also dealt with a range of drug-related issues at the scene.
Inspector Steve Henderson from Greater Manchester Police’s TravelSafe Partnership, said: “Seeking out and tackling incidents of crime and antisocial behaviour on the transport network has had a positive impact in public confidence and empowers people to report incidents of crime.
“Thankfully the majority of journeys take place without any issue but unfortunately there are a small minority intent on causing misery and we will not allow our transport network to be abused in such a way.
“This day of action aimed to highlight that the safety and wellbeing of the travelling public and staff is our top priority. Although this was only a day of action, we want to reassure the public that activity to tackle antisocial behaviour on our transport networks takes place on a daily basis.”
Chris Thorpe, Transport for Greater Manchester’s TravelSafe lead, said: “As days of action like this demonstrate, one of the major advantages of having a partnership is the ability to share information between operators and the police and use it to plan targeted operations.
“By making best use of our resources, we are working together to effectively deter crime and antisocial behaviour in ‘hotspot’ areas, giving confidence to those working and using our networks – and the communities they serve – that their safety and security is our top priority.”
The TravelSafe Partnership strives to keep public transport safe across Greater Manchester by offering reassurance to passengers and preventing and dealing with incidents of crime and antisocial behaviour.
The scheme is led by Transport for Greater Manchester and Greater Manchester Police with support from contributing operators KeolisAmey Metrolink, Stagecoach and First Manchester.
The TSP has had many notable successes, including the arrest of high-profile/most wanted individuals, support of multiple major events and the safeguarding vulnerable members of the public, including children.
Also, the TSP operates an extensive youth education programme, which includes visits to schools and youth groups to educate and inform on the effects of antisocial behaviour on victims.
