{"id":505286,"date":"2025-10-16T22:47:35","date_gmt":"2025-10-16T22:47:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/505286\/"},"modified":"2025-10-16T22:47:35","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T22:47:35","slug":"andy-burnham-launches-key-weapon-to-make-bee-network-one-of-the-safest-transport-systems-in-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/505286\/","title":{"rendered":"Andy Burnham launches key weapon to make Bee Network ‘one of the safest transport systems in the world’"},"content":{"rendered":"

It will be overseen by the cop who commanded GMP’s response to the Crumpsall terror attack<\/p>\n

16:54, 16 Oct 2025Updated 16:54, 16 Oct 2025<\/p>\n

Andy Burnham says the move was made after seeing survey results suggesting people made safety their number one priority on public transport(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

Andy Burnham has launched a key weapon in the fight to make the Bee Network ‘one of the safest transport systems in the world’.<\/p>\n

The mayor unveiled 24\/7 TravelSafe LiveChat service on Thursday (October 16), made available to Bee Network passengers on the same day.<\/p>\n

The service, available on the Bee Network app, allows passengers to report crime or anti-social behaviour by typing messages on their phones to GMP\u2019s control room.<\/p>\n

Join the Manchester Evening News <\/strong>WhatsApp<\/strong> group <\/strong>HERE<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery report is received and handled by a real person at GMP, ensuring swift, compassionate and human-centred responses,\u201d explained assistant chief constable Chris Sykes. \u201cSpecially trained staff will use an extensive camera network to monitor incidents and coordinate the most appropriate to take action and reassure passengers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Police will then assess how serious the report is, and either respond using officers, or Bee Network \u2018travel safe enforcement officers\u2019 (TSEOs) which already patrol the system.<\/p>\n

Responses could include TSEOs boarding problem trams or buses, making announcements to passengers, or contacting security guards at Bee Network and Metrolink<\/a> stations.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all part of a drive to police the Bee Network like Greater Manchester\u2019s \u201811th district\u2019, Mr Burnham added, and named the top cop heading up the squad.<\/p>\n

Andy Burnham using the Bee Network app at a press conference to show off LiveChat(Image: Copyright Unknown)<\/p>\n

\u201cSue Downey will be our first designated chief superintendent [for the transport system],\u201d he told a conference. \u201cShe was the incident commander at the knife attack at the synagogue [in Crumpsall recently].<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are so proud of the job you did, and the job you will do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking to journalists after the event, Mr Burnham said installing Ch Supt Downey would ultimately mean passengers will see more cops on-the-ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe likelihood of seeing uniformed staff on the system [will] increase and that would include police staff,\u201d he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, from an ability to report, if something is going wrong, TravelSafe LiveChat is a major improvement on what we\u2019ve had in the past.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it\u2019s both that general feeling, if you like, because you can see the greater uniformed presence \u2014 and I think that\u2019s been building over the years anyway \u2014 people have begun to see more of that.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s both that reassuring presence on the system, but that knowledge that if something does go wrong, you can expect a better response than we\u2019ve had in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n

The LDRS understands the new GMP \u201811th district\u2019 command structure will be in place in spring next year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It will be overseen by the cop who commanded GMP’s response to the Crumpsall terror attack 16:54, 16…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":505287,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[8916,15333,748,393,4884,187,2465,285,8825,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-505286","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-andy-burnham","9":"tag-bee-network","10":"tag-britain","11":"tag-england","12":"tag-great-britain","13":"tag-greater-manchester-police","14":"tag-manchester","15":"tag-politics","16":"tag-transport-for-greater-manchester","17":"tag-uk","18":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115386282646055145","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=505286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505286\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/505287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=505286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=505286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=505286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}