Safer travel as police watch over new starters.
Anyone travelling to a new school this week by public transport will find their journey easier and safer thanks to the continuation of an joint initiative between West Midlands Police and transport bodies.
Officers from the force’s Safer Travel team will be accompanying pupils on buses during the first two weeks of term to ensure they stay safe and they’ll pay particular attention to new secondary school starters who are making unfamiliar trips and who may not be accustomed to using busy public transport routes.
West Midlands PC Ben Westwood from the Safer Travel Partnership which also includes PCs from British Transport Police, plus transport authority Centro and National Express said: “The operation sees police and colleagues from partner agencies escorting students onto bus routes and at busy public transport interchanges. The focus is on new Year Seven pupils: they’re likely to be a bit nervous and some may not have used public transport before. We’ll make sure they get to school safely and also give crime prevention advice like being aware of who’s around them and to keep valuables safe.
Around 50 officers will take part in the operation, accompanying students on key Birmingham bus routes including those using Pershore Road, Bristol Road, Hagley Road, Coventry Road, Lichfield Road, Stratford Road and Washwood Heath Road. Other services being monitored will be the 49 service, and number 11 along east Birmingham. The Safer Travel Anti-Social Behaviour team will also take part in assemblies at several schools emphasising personal safety on buses and encouraging good behaviour.
The Safer Travel team has helped dramatically cut crime on the region’s bus, train and tram network, with crime on buses falling year on year since the team was established in 2007. Over that period incidents of serious violence have fallen by 53 per cent, criminal damage is down by three-quarters and thefts are down by 61 per cent.
Cllr John McNicholas, chairman of Centro, emphasised the body’s commitment to cutting crime on the region’s transport system; “A safe and secure public transport network is our priority which is Centro helps fund initiatives such as this. Wknow young people can feel intimidated when there is anti-social behaviour onboard and we would encourage them to take advantage of the See Something Say Something text campaign to gives them the chance to play their part in helping us to stamp out this sort of annoying behaviour.”
In addition, the See Something Say Something scheme is proving successful in providing the Safer Travel Partnership with the information it needs to pinpoint where nuisance behaviour is taking place and mount effective police action.
Passengers who see any nuisance behaviour during their bus, train Metro journey can say something anonymously by texting ‘bus’, ‘train’ or ‘metro’ followed by a space and then details of the incident including time, date, location and route number to 83010.
Alternatively they can give details by logging on the www.safertravel.info website or by telephoning West Midlands Police on 101.
However, police emphasise that this scheme is for nuisance behaviour only and in the event of a crime, passengers should dial 999 as normal.