"YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS. IF YOU'RE NOT COMMITTING AN OFFENCE THEN YOU'VE GOT NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT." 18:12, 01 Jun 2025Updated 19:25, 01 Jun 2025

As it pulls into a bay at the Trafford Centre bus station, the yellow, single-decker bus looks like any other Bee Network service. Yet on the front, there is no destination displayed. And

other than a few observers, the only passengers on board, are four uniformed police officers. This is the police's latest weapon in the fight against driving offences. For the next few

hours, it will become the equivalent of a mobile camera. As it slowly weaves its way through traffic in and around Manchester city centre, the officers will use it as a vantage point from

special service, where to go. There are then two more officers, clutching hand-held evidence gathering cameras, the kind that officers use at protests and football matches. They are waiting

to record images through each of the side windows. As we head out of the Trafford Centre towards Urmston, he tells the driver to move over into lane two. And low and behold, to the left,

they spot a man with his mobile phone in his right hand. An unmarked police car following behind is sent to intercept it. If the police is unable to get to them, or anyone else identified

today, the officers on the bus will submit the footage through Operation Snap, the service where any member of the public can submit pictures or video of alleged driving offences. Within

just a few minutes, the driver of a Range Rover Evoque is also spotted using their phone. An unmarked police car, one of a number supporting today's operation, known as Operation

Decker, is dispatched. Inspector Bradley Ormesher, from GMP's Roads Policing Unit, watches proceedings from the bus' back row of seats. "The idea is that we get down in areas

we potentially couldn't get a marked car, or we'd struggle to get a marked car down, and we will film anyone committing any offences" he tells the _Manchester Evening News_,

who have been invited onto the bus to watch it in action. "Officers in unmarked cars or on motorcycles will come and intercept, and stop and deal with the motorist for the offence.

"We have similar operations where we use unmarked lorries on the motorway network. So what we've done is adapted that to city centre, more urban environments. The bus allows us to

do that. "From a police vehicle, people can easily identify us. What we're aiming for, is an element of surprise. "The idea is that we can't be everywhere, but we can be

anywhere." "It gives us a good overview as well" he adds. "We can see down into vehicles and get a good view of what they're doing." When asked if some may see

it a slightly underhand, he says: "Ultimately you're responsible for your own actions. If you're not committing an offence then you've got nothing to worry about."

The joint initiative with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), who run the Bee Network, was launched last December. Today's operation is the third of its kind. "They've

been successful" says Insp Ormesher. "We've identified a number of offences." He says the operation is part of the force's bid to crack down on the 'Fatal

4' – drink and drug driving, the use of mobile phones whilst driving, drivers and passengers not wearing seatbelts, and speeding. "Our aim is to drive down serious and fatal

collisions" the officer says, "This is just one element of a bigger picture" he says as he reminds us GMP and TfGM is signed up to 'Vision Zero' - the ambition to

eliminate road deaths in the region by 2040. There is no way of recording motorists speed on board, so this operation is focussed on the use of mobile phones and seatbelts, the officers say.

In Stretford, we see a Transit van whose driver has his phone in his hand. The officer pans the camera on him, catching him in the act. There is a puzzled look on his face as he looks over

to the bus to see a police officer pointing the camera at him, and a number of others watching on. A member of staff, wearing a 'Vision Zero' t-shirt, notes down his registration,

which is then radioed through to one of the team. Use of a mobile phone whilst dirivng can now land drivers with a £200 fine and six points on their licence with no option for an education

course . Regarding the use of mobile phones, Insp Ormesher says: "It is a prevalent offence. I think it is a cultural thing. "Obviously a lot of people are using their mobile

phones for daily life and some are continuing to do that whilst they're driving. "But obviously, it is a distraction, and it can lead to serious injury and fatalities on our road

network." We head through Trafford up around the city centre, close to the Etihad Stadium. The bus takes a difference route each time to retain the element of surprise, officers say. It

makes its way down several of our busiest routes during rush hour. These include The Mancunian Way, Alan Turing Way, and Regent Road. For 28-year-old Ben Anderton, the driver of the Diamond

bus, this is not your regular job. "There's a certain amount of pressure" he says during a quick pit-stop in north Manchester. "You've got the officers on board and

if they spot something, I need to get somewhere where they can have a good look. "Meanwhile, I've got to think about the traffic as well. They (the suspect) may be in lane one,

and there's no traffic in front of them, so they're at normal speed. "I'm in lane two, stationary traffic in front, so I've got to plan ahead so I don't send

everyone flying down the bus, and stay safe." "I think it's absolutely fantastic" he adds. "In this day and age, there's no need to be using devices at the

wheel." On the Mancunian Way flyover, we pass a woman in a red Nissan. She has a 'baby on board' sticker in her back window, but officers suspect two children in the car

aren't wearing seatbelts. As one of the officers on board the bus films her, her details are noted down and relayed to one of the supporting team. When officers stopped her, she was

texting on her phone, Insp Ormesher later tells us after receiving the information via his radio Several people appearing to have their phones in their hand are spotted on the

Deansgate/Regent Road roundabout, an officer on a liveried bike is sent to deal with one, a Mini. Then on Chester Road, a Tesla is pulled over. Among the observing passengers on the bus, is

gold medal winning cyclist, and Britain's most successful Paralympian, Dame Sarah Storey, who is now the Active Travel Commissioner for Greater Manchester. She sits at the front of the

bus and on occasion informs the officers about drivers they may want to look at. "I think it's a brilliant operation", she tells the M.E.N. "We've obviously heard of

other operations in other areas using HGVs, particularly on the motorways. Buses are also being used. The Bee Network is really important. This bus would be out and about anyway.

"Feeling safe on our roads is one of the main barriers to people being able to walk, wheel and cycle their short journeys. We know 65 percent of collisions happen whilst a driver is

distracted, speeding, driving after drinking or not wearing a seatbelt, which is really significant." "Its important we enforce the law. And there are multiple ways the law can be

enforced" she continues. "You can have a static point and then people are alerting each other to that static point and it's appearing on mapping devices, and you will see it

crop up. "Or you can have a mobile version like this. So this is just one of the options available to GMP. "We have one driving test in our lives, but there are complacent

behaviours that creep in. And I think most people would reflect, and ask are they always proud of themselves when they're behind the wheel? "Its a huge responsibility we don't

often reflect upon. Driving a two-tonne piece of metal is a huge responsibility, but how often do we remind ourselves of that and of the danger of that piece of metal being roadworthy,

being driven with respect and driven within the law?" "People who are abiding by the law have absolutely nothing to worry about. This is not about catching the majority of

law-abiding citizens" she adds. "This is about addressing behaviours that cause fatal collisions." As the bus pulls back into the Trafford Centre, around three hours after it

first set off, the officers tally up that 32 potential offences have were identified, one more than last time. Of these 17 related to the use mobile phones, seven to the wearing of

seatbelts, seven to stopping on a verge or central reservation, and one relating to a vehicle's registration. Article continues below "Not everything is necessarily going to lead

to prosecution" Insp Ormesher says: "What we want is education, and to provide people with a better understanding of why we're doing what we're doing."