Plain clothed police deployed in trojan Metro operation

The ‘trojan horse’ Metro op involved undercover police deployed on the system to catch crime and anti-social behaviour in action.

It followed a similar format to Northumbria Police’s ‘Trojan’ bus initiative – a bus where the customers on board are actually police officers.

This was the first time that the scheme has been rolled out on Metro,

What appeared to be a regular train carriage was actually also transporting plain clothed police officers, ready to respond to crime and catch trouble-makers by surprise.

The Trojan Metro initiative is being funded through Police and Crime Commissioner Susan Dungworth’s Project Shield. So far in 2026 anti-social behaviour has fallen by 24% thanks to high visibility patrols and strong partnership work.

Cathy Massarella, Managing Director of Nexus, said: “Special policing operations like this are absolutely essential for keeping the Tyne and Wear Metro system safe and secure for our customers.

“It’s a unique way to target crime and anti-social behaviour in and around Metro. It sends out a clear message that anyone who causes trouble on our transport system will get caught and will face prosecution.

“Plain clothed policing and high visibility patrols are key elements of Project Shield in partnership with Northumbria Police and the Police and Crime Commissioner, delivering safer streets and stronger communities. Tackling violence and intimidation against women and girls in particular is a vital focus.

“We take this very seriously. Metro is a safe system to travel on, and where issues do occur, we work closely with the police to deal with it.

“This builds on the work we have already done to improve safety and security on Metro, including the introduction of our dedicated security teams, investment in new CCTV, and the ongoing roll out of our new train fleet.”

Northumbria Police and Crime Commission, Susan Dungworth, said: “We often talk about people wanting high visibility policing but this approach brings its own benefits too by allowing officers to identify offences as they happen and intervene quickly.

“Through Project Shield, we’ve been trying a range of methods to catch offenders and reduce crime. The Trojan Metro is another great example of our joint efforts responding to concerns and helping people feel safe as they go about their lives.”

Chief Inspector Phil Baker, of Northumbria Police, said: “Passengers should feel secure when it comes to travelling on the wider transport network and between bus stops, stations and hubs.

“Policing in this way through Project Shield gives us a unique opportunity to identify those behaving in an anti-social or criminal way in real time – so that along with our partners Nexus we can disrupt offenders swiftly and take the appropriate action against those involved.”

Deployments on Metro were determined by hotspot data and focus on routes connecting areas where members of the public have raised concerns.

During the first Trojan Metro operation, held on Thursday 19 March, 1,000 people passed through knife arches at stations, while police engaged with over 200 people and businesses about the operation. Officers made six arrests of individuals on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, breach of bail and failing to appear before court. Investigations are ongoing around other recorded crimes for public order offences, assault and possession of cannabis.

Project Shield is a partnership covering joint activity from police and partners working to help deliver safer streets and stronger communities. It involves greater police and partner patrols in hotspot areas, effective resource targeting led by data, and community engagement and prevention activities, including working with youth services.