'Do you know where your children are?' Appeal to parents as kids as young as 11 fuel spike in anti-social behaviour on trams and buses

Vandalism, abuse, missile-throwing and other anti-social behaviour from schoolchildren on the tram and bus network have become an ‘acute and chronic’ problem since Greater Manchester’s lockdowns, according to police and security bosses.

While bus and tram stops have always been a magnet for young people to congregate, there’s been a sharp uptick when it comes to anti-social behaviour (ASB), particularly from repeat offenders. And this concerning trend is thought to be, at least in part, yet another damaging impact of Covid-19.

Although passenger numbers plummeted during lockdowns and the overall incidents of crime alongside them, youth-related anti-social behaviour spiked. As well as causing major issues for passengers and staff, the rise in ASB among children, some as young as 11, also sparked concerns around safeguarding, as it can often stem from other issues in their lives.

READ MORE: Calls for uniformed officers on trams to tackle rise in antisocial behaviour

Compared to 2019, youth-related ASB reports increased by 35pc on buses and by 45pc on Metrolink in 2021. The number of reported incidents at bus stations during 2021 was 42pc higher than during 2019, driven by youth-related anti-social behaviour. Over the last year there have been more than 100 reports of missiles being thrown at buses.

On Metrolink, the rate of incidents per million passengers rose from 60 in 2019 to 134 in 2021. The Airport line saw the biggest increase in youth-related incidents, up to 50pc of all reports in 2021 compared to 33pc in 2019.

Although considered ‘low level’ behaviour from ‘very young people’, these Airport line incidents - including emergency door handle activations which were up from 40 in 2020 to 126 in 2021 - can have a