Tram security is along right lines

Metrolink security teams who will eventually patrol Oldham’s trams caught more than 5,000 fare-dodgers on the network in just over four months this year, latest figures reveal.

Almost half of them are being prosecuted through the courts while nearly 1,200 of them were juveniles and issued with warnings.

A third of them handed over £50 penalty fares within two weeks of being caught while 300 delayed and had to pay £100. Another 300 successfully appealed.

Dodgers were caught by teams of so-called travel safe officers who have been patrolling the network for the last two years. Their work has become so sophisticated that they are able to target certain stops at certain times of the day to catch the most fare dodgers by examining ticket machine sales figures.

The civilian teams also work with the police to keep peace on trams after Greater Manchester Police decided it could no longer afford to keep its dedicated Metrolink team of an inspector, three sergeants, 24 constables and a civilian controller back in 2006.

They have taken part in operations like “SuperVortex” to specifically target anti-social behaviour in town centres and Operation Barrier where ticket checks are carried out at stations.