Greater Manchester is pioneering a new, first-of-its-kind approach to keeping the travelling public safe.
A new and improved 24/7 TravelSafe LiveChat service – allowing passengers and staff to discreetly report criminal or antisocial behaviour on public transport – has been launched
It’s part of ongoing efforts to keep people safe on the Bee Network, with an all-new model bringing Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) together to deliver a more effective response to issues across the network.
From today, people can discreetly report issues in real-time to the LiveChat service from the homepage of the Bee Network app and QR codes on the region’s buses and trams. It means more than half a million app users are now directly connected, via their devices, to trained police call handlers who can provide advice and/or dispatch a response.
While the police will respond to emergencies and serious incidents, intelligence gathered through LiveChat will also be shared with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM). Here, specially trained staff with access to an extensive network of more than 2,500 cameras – covering stops, stations and onboard buses and trams – can monitor and co-ordinate the most appropriate response to other incidents.
This can include deploying TravelSafe Support and Enforcement Officers (TSEOs), who have body-worn cameras and are specially trained to deal with and deter antisocial behaviour, intervene to deescalate situations and provide safeguarding support for passengers*.
Other measures include notifying security staff at interchanges or on the network to respond and making announcements over the PA system to reassure passengers that the situation is being monitored.
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said:
“With this pioneering, first-of-its-kind approach we are demonstrating once again that the safety of everyone who travels or works on the Bee Network is our number one priority.
“We take a zero-tolerance approach to criminal and antisocial activity on our buses, trams, and at our stations, stops and interchanges, and when someone contacts the new TravelSafe LiveChat, they’ll always be speaking to a real person who can provide specialist support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“This is a critical first phase of a new, integrated approach to policing public transport which will provide a more visible presence out on the Bee Network, to reassure the travelling public that we will act swiftly to deter and tackle these behaviours head on.”
