Two arrests and 55 penalty fares were issued to people not travelling with a valid Metrolink ticket as officers swooped on the line between Bury and Whitefield tram stops during the evening of Monday 25 October.

The arrests made by GMP were a man arrested for immigration offences at Bury, and another man wanted on warrant arrested at Radcliffe.

Alex Cropper, Interim Head of Operations at Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), said: “TfGM takes the safety of passengers very seriously, with anti-social behaviour and fare evasion often going hand-in-hand, so we are working closely with GMP, local authorities and KAM through the TravelSafe partnership to tackle these issues together.

“We will continue to deploy TravelSafe teams across hot-spot areas as part of our programme of specialist operations in partnership with the GMP Transport Unit and district policing teams.”

The operation on Monday was part of an ongoing intelligence-led campaign of TravelSafe interventions across the transport networks and formed part of a wider response to an incident at Radcliffe Metrolink stop on Sunday 10 October, as well as reports of youth-related antisocial behaviour on the Bury line.

As well as tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, the TravelSafe Partnership promote safe travel and engage with passengers about coronavirus rules and guidance.

Chief Inspector Jamie Collins from GMP’s Bury Neighbourhood team said: “I am keen to reassure our local communities their voices are heard; we have listened to concerns and this activity demonstrates how we are working with partners to continue to tackle ASB, and proactively target those involved.

“We will continue to have extra police officers deployed with our TFGM partners on the Metrolink line, as this kind of behaviour will not be tolerated. We acknowledge the distress it is causing, and we will continue to take robust action against those responsible.”

Bev Hughes, Greater Manchester Deputy Mayor for policing, crime, criminal justice and fire, added: “I hope this operation has offered some reassurance to passengers that public transport in Greater Manchester is in the majority of circumstances a safe and secure way to travel.

“The visible presence of officers, practical advice, and police enforcement action where necessary should provide a confidence boost to the public and complements the vital work already underway to help keep our communities safe.”

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