GREATER Manchester Police's (GMP) Transport Unit has seized more than 700 vehicles and made over 400 arrests in its first year.
The unit was set up in November 2019 to tackle incidents on the Greater Manchester transport network.
It has 63 officers and supports the work of the wider TravelSafe Partnership – which includes Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and public transport operators.
The unit's aim is to reduce fatalities and injuries on our roads, reduce crime and anti-social behaviour on the network and improve public confidence and road safety.
And so far the unit has seized 709 vehicles, made 409 arrests and issued nearly 2,000 traffic offence reports.
More than 3,000 targeted patrols of public transport, focussing on hotspot areas to deter and disrupt criminality, have taken place too. And more than 100 people who were reported missing from home have been found by its officers.
As well as working with TfGM and councils daily, the unit has worked together on 29 days of action.
GMP Superintendent Julie Ellison, said: "Everyone using the transport network in Greater Manchester should feel safe when doing so.
"The work that our officers in the Transport Unit have done over the past year has ensured that users have felt more at ease when travelling and that offenders are met with the appropriate action.
"We remain committed to working alongside the TravelSafe Partnership to further reduce crime and anti-social on our transport networks."
TfGM's TravelSafe partnership manager, Kate Green, said: “Public transport is a safe way to travel and the success of the Transport Unit during its first year has provided a significant boost to the work already being done by the Greater Manchester TravelSafe Partnership (TSP) to keep it that way.
“The presence of both uniformed and plain clothes police officers on the transport networks not only provides visual reassurance to passengers but also allows for much tougher enforcement against those that choose to break the law.
“The figures for the first year speak volumes and demonstrates our commitment to ensuring people can travel safely and with confidence.
"It’s apt that we are marking the anniversary with a partnership week of action taken in response to a spike in incidents in the Leigh area.”
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