POLICE are clamping down on anti-social behaviour on public transport.

In an effort to reduce issues, officers from Greater Manchester's TravelSafe Partnership held an operation around Manchester Victoria - one of the region's busiest stations - on Friday, October 12.

Victoria is one of the main destinations for passengers travelling into the city from Bolton but, along with the nearby Shudehill Interchange, was chosen as a target after data showed an increase in the number of anti-social behaviour incidents and reports of thefts from buses.

During the day, there was enhanced policing in place, foot patrols between the two locations and support was also provided by British Transport Police.

Officers dealt with a range of drug-related issues on the day as well as making arrests in relation to an instance of fraud and an immigration offence.

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 is run jointly by GMP and TfGM.