Bus crime drops

Statistics released by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) show that incidents of crime and antisocial behaviour on the bus network have dropped by almost 17% over the past three years – with a 10% fall in the past year alone.

TfGM, which runs 21 bus stations in the region, has spearheaded the Crime Reduction on Public Transport (CROPT) initiative alongside Greater Manchester Police and bus operators.

Between December 2009 and November 2010, there were 7,389 incidents reported on bus services and at bus stations.

Between December 2010 and November 2011, there were 6,871 incidents reported – a seven per cent reduction. The same figures for 2011/2012 show 6,163 incidents –a further drop of more than 10%.

Overall, since December 2009, incidents have fallen by just under 17 per cent.

Furthermore, figures for October to November 2012 show there were just 269 incidents compared to 472 for the same period in 2011 – a reduction of 43%.

It follows a series of CROPT-led initiatives and enhancements, including CCTV technology and an increase of on-duty special constables at stations over the past two years.

Joint Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and TfGM safety operations have also been stepped-up, including detecting passengers carrying harmful weapons and visiting school assemblies to present on positive and safe transport behaviour.

In addition, following encouragement from TfGM, 25 separate bus operators have installed CCTV equipment on an excess of 1700 Greater Manchester buses over the last two years.

Michael Renshaw, TfGM’s Bus and Rail Director, said: “We are pleased that in partnership with bus companies and GMP we have been able to secure such positive results.

“A number of initiatives have been put in place to help reduce crime and anti-social behaviour and, as the statistics show, these have been very successful.

“Just one example is the introduction of CCTV equipment on buses which now is present on approximately 70% of Greater Manchester fleet.

“But there is still a lot of room for improvement and we will continue to prioritise safety at bus stations and on routes as part of our future plans for bus travel in Greater Manchester.

“These plans also include £80m of investment in new and improved transport interchanges throughout the region, all of which will provide a wide range of features to enhance the safety and security of the travelling public.”

Antisocial behaviour lead for Greater Manchester Police, Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan, added: “These results are really promising and show that by working together with TfGM we can make a difference and reassure passengers that they can travel across Greater Manchester in safety.

“Antisocial behaviour can really affect a person’s quality of life and having to experience it while travelling is not acceptable. We will continue to work with our partners at TfGM to further reduce crime and antisocial behaviour through a variety of tactics.”

Bus travel is by far the most frequently used form of public transport in Greater Manchester, with eight out of every ten public transport journeys being made by bus.

This amounts to around 220 million passenger journeys by bus each year: an average of 600,000 journeys a day.

The 6,163 incidents reported on bus services and at stations across the 10 districts of Greater Manchester between December 2011 and November 2012 amounts to an average of 17 a day – or one incident for every 35,500 journeys.