People were pictured arrested at Manchester Piccadilly by the brand-new police team
(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
The rain lashes the platform of the Piccadilly tram stop as commuters brave a miserable Monday morning. For two travellers, the misery is compounded as they are carted away in handcuffs by police officers who were diligently patrolling the Metrolink.
These officers and perhaps arrests will soon be a familiar site for voyaging Mancunians. The uniformed cops are part of the brand-new Transport Police and Crime Command team, also known as TPACC.
The unit has been created to provide coverage of the roads, Metrolink and bus services across Greater Manchester. It officially launches on Thursday (October 29), but officers from the group were already in operation on Monday (October 26).
Click here to get the biggest stories straight to your inbox in our Daily Newsletter
The team was originally signed off by Andy Burnham during his stint as a mayor. The project has been previously referred to as the GMP’s ‘11th district’, but the unit has had to wait for the greenlight due to a series of elections.
Officers will tackle crime and anti-social behaviour on the transport network (Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
Now, officers have been recruited and deployed onto the streets. The unit is expected to have a city centre base and will work closely with TfGM and Mayor Bev Craig’s office to carry out their tasks.
The service will include additional dedicated resources to tackle stubborn crime issues, with a focus on anti-social behaviour and violence against women and girls.
Greater Manchester will see more police officers on trams and buses across the region (Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
Superintendent Carl O’Brien is leading TPACC. “We want people to use the network and feel safe,” he said.
“The aim for the chief constable and the mayor is to make this the safest public transport network in the world and that’s why we’re here today.
“What the public are going to see is an increase in, what I call, overt policing. You might get off a tram at a busy interchange across all of our ten boroughs and regions in Greater Manchester. You may see someone like me, in a jacket like this..
“Or you may see officers in darker clothing. They’re looking at obviously intervening with people that may not be using the network for legitimate reasons.”
Superintendent Carl O’Brien(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
The ‘overt’ policing will not just see an increased presence on the buses and trams in Greater Manchester.
Superintendent O’Brien says the resources will also include facial recognition technology to target known troublemakers and registered sex offenders on the network.
However, when asked if there’s a chance of the city becoming over-policed, he said: ”For me, we’re there to serve the public, we’re there to protect the public.
“If people come forward and give us the information, we’ll act on it and a fair and firm manner where needed.”