Message from the Mayor

As the fastest growing city region outside London, our expanding and evolving transport network is at our very core.

With a responsibility for policing and transport, one of my utmost priorities is the safety and wellbeing of all those who use our bus, tram and highway networks, which are collectively responsible for tens of thousands of passenger journeys every day.

Given the size of these networks, incidents of crime and antisocial behaviour remain relatively low, with many of the recorded incidents relating to low-level nuisance behaviour. However, it’s vital that we continue to build on the work already being done to keep the networks safe.

The TravelSafe Partnership (TSP) is a multi-agency initiative, set up to keep the public safe by deterring and preventing crime and educating young people on the dangers and consequences of antisocial and criminal behaviour.

Since becoming Mayor I have overseen a significant enhancement to the Partnership, with the addition of extra officers to patrol the networks. I have sought and secured changes to legislation that will allow TfGM to apply for civil injunctions to ban nuisance and criminal passengers from the transport network. We’ve extended the use of body-worn cameras to front line staff, have made the transport control centre into a 24/7 operation and, significantly, engaged with tens of thousands of children as part of the TravelSafe’s youth engagement programme.

Public transport is the lifeblood of any great city region: whether it’s to enable us to visit family and friends or give us access to jobs, retail and leisure opportunities.

It’s therefore absolutely critical to me that people are not only safe, but that they feel safe when travelling, which is why the work that the TravelSafe Partnership is and will deliver – as set out in this strategy – is so important.