Funding for more officers at North East transport hubs to tackle anti-social behaviour

More uniformed officers have been deployed across public transport hubs in the region to help cut anti-social behaviour.

Northumbria's Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness has invested an extra £1 million in funding to cover the cost of high-visibility patrols and targeted intervention work.

Over recent months, Northumbria Police officers have been working alongside transport providers Stagecoach and Nexus to reduce anti-social behaviour.

PCC Kim McGuinness said: “We have been rolling out more patrols and officers have been delivering focused operations in busy periods and at key interchanges and stations. It’s getting noticed too. Kids are noticing there are more officers; they’re not hanging around in some of their usual sports as a direct consequence. What we are doing is working.”

“This all helps to address people’s concerns and improve overall feelings of safety. It’s so important we get our region’s transport right and fighting and preventing crime is a key part of it.

“ASB can make victims’ lives a nightmare, causing stress, worry and despair. We know it can often be a precursor to serious crimes such as knife crime and gang activity, so this heavier policing presence must be backed up with prevention work too and we are working with youth providers to get on top of this side of things too.

“We all want to love where we live, communities that are free of crime and disorder, and I’m determined to deliver this across the force area.”

Chief Superintendent Barrie Joisce, of Northumbria Police, said: “We recognise that the anti-social behaviour of a minority can have a significant and detrimental impact on the communities we serve.

“Tackling anti-social behaviour is a priority for the Force and every single day our officers carry out high-visibility patrols to proactively target hotspot areas and get ahead of crime trends.

“As ever, I’d like to thank our residents, commuters and businesses for their ongoing support and I hope this investment offers further reassurance that we have listened to their concerns – and are taking robust action to address them.

“Through effective partnership working, we can continue to make people feel safe, reduce pockets of disorder and ensure anyone involved in anti-social behaviour is dealt with swiftly and effectively.”

Cathy Massarella, Interim Managing Director at Nexus, which runs the Tyne and Wear Metro, said: “Extra policing on local public transport networks is a really welcome step and builds on the many new measures we’ve already put in place.

“Customers want to see more done about anti-social behaviour and can be assured that action is being taken to provide a greater uniformed presence on board buses, Metros and at stations. Safety and security is our top priority.

“Nexus invest £1m a year on Metro police every year, and we have spent a further £2m on dedicated security teams to patrol the network at night."

Nexus launched a text alert system allowing passengers to report issues directly by texting ‘REPORTIT’ to 66777, providing them with immediate contact with the Metro customer service desk.

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