More than two in five incidents of crime or antisocial behaviour on Greater Manchester’s public transport network are “youth-related,” according to figures obtained in a Freedom of Information request.
The figures were obtained by the Oldham Times after Greater Manchester’s TravelSafe Partnership asked parents to warn their children of the consequences of attacks on public transport last month.
TfGM bosses have stressed that “the vast majority [of young people] are well behaved and cause no problem whatsoever.”
Earlier this year, a report by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) revealed that the Oldham/Rochdale tram line is the worst hit for criminal damage incidents than any other in the city region, and revealed that Failsworth was a hotspot location for damage to bus shelters.
The figures obtained also show that the proportion of youth-related incidents was much higher after 3pm – around the time schools are usually let out.
The highest proportion of ‘youth-related’ incidents happened in March 2022 and November 2021, with 47 per cent of incidents across the public transport network labelled as such by TravelSafe officers.
The lowest rate of youth-related incidents occurred in June 2021 – with 33 per cent of incidents attributed to youth.
Officers responding to incidents provide a description of those involved; this description, if provided, is used to determine whether to mark the incident as ‘youth-related.’
Kate Green, TfGM’s TravelSafe Partnership Manager, said: “Public transport should be safe for everyone to use, but there are some who continually act in a disruptive or threatening manner towards others, and many of these people are children and teenagers.
“The TravelSafe Partnership takes an enforcement, engagement and education-led approach to reassure the travelling public and deter crime and antisocial behaviour.
“Officers work with and speak to thousands of children and young people every year through our comprehensive youth-engagement programme.
“We’re not looking to demonise young people, and the vast majority are well behaved and cause no problem whatsoever.
“But public transport is not the place to be hanging around and misbehaving, and we will work with schools and youth engagement teams to identify these individuals and educate them on the personal impact and consequences of antisocial behaviour.
“A moment of madness or showing off could result in young people being banned from the network or potentially prosecuted, but offenders can also put themselves or others in danger.
“We would urge people to consider the impact of their actions and ask themselves how they would feel if a loved one was on the receiving end of their behaviour.”
Inspector Steve Griffin, of Greater Manchester Police’s Transport Unit, said: “GMP wants all members of the public to feel safe when using public transport, and we are working alongside our partners to deter crime on buses and trams.
“The TravelSafe partnership – which includes officers from GMP’s Transport Unit, as well as TfGM and public transport operators, have been working with local officers to patrol the areas that have been identified as hotspot locations on the transport network for incidents of crime.
“Recent spikes in incidents in Rochdale and Failsworth have resulted in combined work between GMP Transport Unit, District Neighbourhood Teams, and Metrolink staff to increase patrolling in those areas.
“Partners from youth services have also assisted in looking at a variety of interventions to prevent further anti-social behaviour.
“Most recently, TfGM and Metrolink have engaged with nearly 9,000 students at local schools and colleges in Oldham and Rochdale and in September 2022 they plan to attend a Safety Roadshow event organised by the GMCA’s Violence Reduction Unit at Hopwood Hall College (Rochdale Campus).”
An Oldham Council spokesperson said: “Here in Oldham, we are committed to ensuring our communities feel safe when they are out and about, including when they use public transport.
“Our Youth Service have partnered up with Oldham Street Angels to launch a new initiative called Trusted People to help residents feel safe and confident when using the local tram network.
“Our officers have engaged with more than 720 young people as part of this, with staff and volunteers riding on the Metrolink, visiting local tram stops and the areas around them, to provide a friendly face in case residents felt uneasy.
“Our Detached Youth Work team also run regular youth work sessions along local Metrolink stops and we have more investment coming into the Youth Service to deliver similar work across the borough.
“In addition to this, we’re currently in the process of installing 51 CCTV cameras at locations around five Metrolink stops near the town centre to help passengers and residents feel safer and more confident.
“In the meantime, we would urge anyone who experiences anti-social behaviour to report this immediately to Transport for Greater Manchester or Greater Manchester Police.”
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