Annual Report 2014/15

Leading the way

Contents

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Foreword – transport policing ethos

Our successes

Our challenges

Leading the way – Tackling sexual offences – Focusing on football disorder

Taking care of the vulnerable

Expert policing in a specialist environment

Continuing our transformation

Pride in our professionalism

Caring about our customers

Join the conversation

Closing thoughts from the British Transport Police Authority

Transport policing ethosTransport policing needs a distinctive approach or ethos that embodies a deep and clear understanding of the railway industry, and a commercial awareness that balances the management of risk against the economic and social need to keep Britain’s railway running.

Our nationwide remit, our unique skills, our focus on passengers and their journeys, as well as our successful partnership with the railway industry, are all factors that have led to a reduction in crime for the eleventh year in a row and a safer railway for passengers and staff.

We take pride in our achievements but there are further challenges ahead and we must continue to evolve in order to meet our demanding targets. This is why we are in the process of rebalancing policing capabilities, focusing on: problem solving, stopping crime, offender management and a ‘first fix’ approach. Our new way of working

will centre on targeted, evidence-based policing and making the best use

of modern technology.

Achieving our targets is, of course, important but

effective transport policing is much more than just reaching performance targets. It is about

ensuring we put our resources in the right place at the right time so passengers and rail staff are not only kept safe and secure, but also that they feel safe and secure. That is why, this year, I have focused attention both on the issues of sexual offending and the unacceptable antisocial behaviour demonstrated by a minority of football supporters which adversely impacts on passengers and staff.

More is needed than traditional policing skills alone, which is why we are making the best use of innovative equipment such as body-worn cameras, enhanced CCTV coverage and handheld mobile devices.

We are combining this with understanding what works through sophisticated strategic and tactical analysis, academic research and lessons taken from behavioural science.

I invite you to read this annual report to understand in greater detail the work we have been doing over the past year on these and many other issues, our achievements and our challenges and how we intend to overcome them.

Paul Crowther OBE Chief Constable British Transport Police

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Our 20:20:10 objectivesBy 2019 we will deliver value for money and

Reduce disruption by

Reduce crime by

Increase passenger and rail staff confidence by

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2014/15 was the eleventh year in succession that crime has fallen on Britain’s railway. Over those eleven years

•Robberyhasdecreasedby86% (2,232 offences)

•Theftofpropertyhasgonedownby61% (19,110 offences)

•Motorvehicleandcyclecrimewentdownby39% (4,607 offences)

•Lineofrouteoffencesfellby73% (3,007 offences)

• Railwaydelayscausedbycabletheftreducedby87% since 2008/9 (245,480 minutes)

Our successes

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In 2014/15 we achieved or exceeded five of our eight national Policing Plan targets

Non-suspicious and unexplained fatalities to be cleared within an average of 90 minutes

Reducenotifiablecrimebyatleast4% (excluding drugs and offensive weapons)

Average partial re-opening time to be no more than 45 minutes on four track lines

To increase overall budget spent on frontline resources to at least 67%

Cleared within an average of 81 minutes

Down by 5.4%

Average line re-opening time 40 minutes

67% spent on frontline resources

To achieve a passenger confidence rating of at least 77.5%

77.75% achieved

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Disruption to services remains a challenge for the railway industry. Tackling issues such as trespass and vandalism is a major priority for the coming year.

Overall, we have not met our 2014/15 target of reducing disruption by 6%. However, we are moving in the right direction, recording a small decrease of 0.1% in lost minutes when compared with 2013/14.

There are many reasons trains are delayed. The ones that can be mitigated by police action are:

•vandalismandtheft

•disorderandtrespass

•fatalitiesandinjuries

•levelcrossingincidents

In 2014/15, delay minutes relating to these issues accounted for 9.46% of the Network Railtotallostminutes.

Our disruption target is a combination of two elements. The first, which we can affect, is known as ‘primary delay.’ It is calculated as the minutes lost by a train due to an incident directly affecting that train.

The second element, known as the ‘reactionary delay,’ is based on the number of minutes that other trains are delayed as a result of the original incident. Our overall performance can be assessed against these two distinct reasons.

•Primarydelayshavedecreasedby5% from 2013/14

•Reactionarydelaysincreasedby3%compared with 2013/14

During the last year, we had some success in our disruption target in specific areas.

We have reduced:

• minutes lost due to cable theft and cable-related vandalism by 45%

• minutes lost as a result of fatalities and injuries caused by a person being hit by a train by 10%

•minutes lost as a result of vandalism by 10%

In 2014/15, the total minutes lost as a result of trespass,however,increasedby17%.Reducingthe impact of trespass incidents is essential this coming year.

Our challenges

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In the last two decades, the railway has seen unprecedented growth and passenger numbers have more than doubled to almost 4.5 million every day. Passenger kilometres travelled have increased by half since 2004, and are forecast to increase by a further 50% by the mid-2030s.

That is why our team of experts is carefully analysing current data and previous incidents to help develop an informed approach to addressing this issue in the coming year.

We will work in partnership with Network Railandtrainoperatingcompaniesunderacomprehensive strategy aimed at reducing the impact of disruption across the railway network.

We know this approach works when tackling major issues. Since 2008/9, we have reduced the minutes lost to cable theft by a remarkable 87%. This was achieved by developing and following a multi-agency strategy, supported by targeted tactical operations. We want to achieve the same success with disruption.

Our initiatives for the coming year include:

•enhanced collaborative working with Network Rail,trainandfreightoperatingcompanies and other partners to target harden locations and reduce the potential for disruption, particularly trespass

• further partnership working with the NHS, Samaritans and other stakeholders to protect vulnerable people and reduce the potential for suicide on the railway

• refreshed and improved analytical and intelligence products, giving us a better understanding of the problem so we are better able to focus our resources using an evidence-based approach

•enhanced response capability, such as the introduction of Emergency Intervention Units, to provide a quick and efficient response to disruption incidents

•workingwithNetworkRailtoimprovecommandand control processes, providing a more joined-up response and management of incidents

•improved staff training and development in the areas of fatality management workshops, disruption workshops and specialist body recovery training

Helping to keep the network running

Minutes lost due to cable theft & vandalism down by 45%

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Reducing crimeReducenotifiablecrimebyatleast4% (excluding drugs and offensive weapons)

Reducing disruptionReducepolice-relateddisruptionminutesbyatleast6%

Delivering valueTo spend at least 67% of overall budget on frontline resources

Increase confidencePassenger confidence – To achieve a passenger confidence rating of at least 77.5%

Reducedby5.4% Yes

77.75% Yes

Reducedby0.1% No

67% achieved Yes

Railstaffconfidence–Toachievearailstaffconfidencerating of at least 65.1%

64.8% No

Non-suspicious and unexplained fatalities to be cleared within an average of 90 minutes

Average of 81 minutes Yes

Increase staff availabilityAverage days lost through sickness to be less than 7.3 per year 7.36 days per employee No

The facts about our 2014/15 national Policing Plan targets

Average partial re-opening to be no more than 45 minutes on four track lines

Average of 40 minutes Yes

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Passengers have the right to travel without worrying that they will be a victim of crime or have their journey disrupted by unacceptable behaviour. We are leading the way in making sure that this is the case.

We have made huge progress in the last decade in tackling crimes such as robbery, theft and violence.The majority of people who use the rail network have never been safer – there is only one recorded crime for every 41,650 journeys made. We are well aware that statistics do not always reveal the true scale of a problem. Sadly, a small minority continue to display unacceptable behaviour towards other passengers and rail staff.

We believe that sexual offences and football-related antisocial behaviour are two areas where incidents go unreported all too often. There can

be many reasons for this, but often it comes from a perception that these are trivial nuisances that should just be tolerated, or that nothing will be done if they are reported.

Our aim is to give a strong message that these incidents are not acceptable on the transport network, or anywhere else, and should never be tolerated. We encourage the public to report these types of behaviour and will take positive action when this happens.

Tackling unacceptable behaviour

For every million journeys, there were 25 crimes recorded

Leading the way

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Raisingawarenessofsexualoffencesandencouraging people to report this type of crime has been a priority for some time. In 2013, Project Guardian – a partnership between BTP, Transport for London (TfL), the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police – was established following a TfL safety and security survey. It revealed that whilst one in 10 Londoners experienced unwanted sexual behaviour on public transport, more than 90% did not report it to the police.

Figures show that recorded sexual offences on the London transport system in 2014/15 increased by 29.78% compared with 2013/14. We believe this increase demonstrates that the initiatives we have launched together to increase reporting are having an effect, but there is more we can do.

In March 2015, we hosted with Transport Minister Claire Perry, a major international seminar on reducing sexual offences on public transport. This provided a unique opportunity for government officials, academics, police forces and special interest advocates from across the globe, to discuss best practice and solutions for reducing sexual offences.

Discussions were informed by findings from a RapidEvidenceAssessment(REA)byMiddlesexUniversity, which was commissioned by BTP and the Department for Transport. This reviewed data associated with sexual offending on transport systems and identified and assessed innovative policing techniques from around the world.

We know that our international partners share our determination to tackle this issue. There is no single solution and a number of interventions will be required. More work is needed to understand which approaches are effective as few have been robustly evaluated or tested in isolation.

Tackling unwanted sexual behaviour

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Report it to stop it

Building on the successful partnership working of Project Guardian, the ‘Report it to stop it’ campaign was launched in April 2015. It includes a hard hitting, online, interactive video showing a woman experiencing increasing levels of unwanted sexual behaviour. It has been viewed more than 1.6 million times and received national and international media attention.

The campaign, which we are rolling out across the national rail network, aims to increase awareness of unwanted sexual behaviour on public transport, what it constitutes and that it can be reported.

It also aims to increase reporting of unwanted sexual behaviour on public transport, helping to catch more offenders and stop it happening again.

We take all reports of unwanted sexual behaviour seriously, and wherever possible, take action.

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Much has been done to combat the extreme violence once synonymous with British football. Recentcrimestatisticsshowthatfootball-related offences continue to decrease. But the unpleasant reality faced by the public and rail staff paints a somewhat different picture.

Every match day, law-abiding members of the public, supporters and rail staff are subjected to abusive and, on occasion, racially offensive chanting, threatening behaviour, and displays of violence by a minority of travelling football supporters determined to cause trouble.

Each year, the cost to BTP for policing as a result of football supporters using the railway is in the region of £4 million. Over the FA Cup semi-final weekend, we deployed around 800 officers and staff dedicated to football duties.

Socially, there appears to be a perception that football-related antisocial behaviour is low-level, acceptable and should just be tolerated. We believe it is not acceptable and should not be tolerated.

For any solution to be effective, it must be comprehensive and bring together organisations that can effect change, such as government, police, criminal justice agencies, relevant football authorities, clubs, sponsors, broadcasters and rail operators. That is why in April 2015, we invited executives from a range of organisations to a football summit.

It provided an opportunity for us to start to understand the root of the problem and how together we can tackle and reduce inappropriate behaviour. It was agreed that a cultural change is needed. Although it was recognised that this would not happen overnight, everyone was committed to this aim.

The summit was just a starting point to engage in a solution-focused approach to the issue. In the coming year we will gather evidence, examine academic research and review best practice from around the world. We intend to work with other organisations and consider the use of new incentives and sanctions informed by behavioural science analysis to drive forward a strategy to find a solution to football-related disorder.

Focusing on football disorder

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Every day our officers strive to help and protect children and vulnerable

adults, in need of help and support on the railway network.

This is of significant public concern and we have made a firm commitment to extend and improve the many aspects of safeguarding work we already do.

During the last year we responded to nearly 6,000 incidents involving people displaying suicidal behaviour. This high number is a sad reflection that too many people suffering from mental illness, depression, distress and anxiety or temporary lifestyle factors that affect their state of mind are not receiving

the support and treatment needed to help protect them. Our standpoint is that suicides can be preventable and our specialist officers continue to make significant contributions along with many strategic national and regional groups.

We provide evidence-based data and advocate the need for improved early interventions to help save lives and improve services for people at risk.

In the last year, we continued to work with partners to deliver mental health awareness training for all of our officers and rail staff. This increased vigilance has contributed towards 935 lifesaving interventions by police, rail staff and the public.

Our specialist teams include professional mental health nurses. Last year they worked to support 1,156 people who were considered to have a raised vulnerability to suicide. They have been especially successful in helping to initiate personal safety plans and facilitated support from local health professionals. Our expert, detailed data and intelligence work enables partners to make situational safety improvements at priority locations.

Taking care of the vulnerable

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Despite these activities to intervene and protect people, our officers nonetheless dealt with 327 suspected suicides on the railway last year. They also dealt with a further 72 incidents where people survived whilst apparently attempting to take their own life, but often sustained life-changing injuries.

We have made a significant investment in specialised resources focused on the safety and wellbeing of children and managing statutory safeguarding procedures. These teams understand children’s vulnerabilities and are skilled in recognising the many harms and risks that they face. Every day, our officers deal with around 14 children in circumstances where they are concerned for their welfare and wellbeing. Often this involves children who have been victims of crime or exploitation, those who have run away from home and, in some cases, where they are suspected of committing an offence. We now capture detailed reports about all these incidents and our new central safeguarding hub ensures the underlying issues in each case are properly considered.Referralsaremadetoappropriate local children’s social care services and information is shared with territorial police forces where necessary.

Our safeguarding work has continued to expand. We have worked with many industry and third sector partners to put in place a range of initiatives intended to protect all children and vulnerable adults, thereby reducing the risks of abuse, neglect, harm and exploitation.

These include the strengthening of the process aimed at supporting and protecting victims of domestic abuse, and a pilot programme with the RailwayChildrencharitytoraiseawarenessamongrailway staff and retailers at railway stations about what they can do to help safeguard vulnerable children and young people.

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Protecting the public from terrorism is a significant priority. We recognise that the railway network, as part of the national infrastructure, is a potential target.

There have been a number of high profile incidents over the last decade, including those in Moscow, Madrid and London. Similarly, the shocking events in Paris in January 2015 when there was a series of simultaneous extremist attacks, as well as the recent attack in Tunisia, are a stark reminder that the threat from terrorism endures.

Our aim – both in our operational daily response and through our strategic planning – is to reduce the risk of terrorist attack on the railway network so that people can go about their lives freely and with confidence.

Our specialist expertise in this field of policing, in the railway environment, means that

our response is rapid, yet thoughtful and proportionate. A report by the Health and Safety Executive in 1992 (The Appleton Inquiry) noted that at times of heightened anxiety, one

bag in every seven discovered caused a station closure with inevitable disruption to passengers.

In 2014, rail staff dealt with more than 250,000 unattended items. We recommended a station closure on less than five occasions. This is a direct result of the continual development of our expertise in making rapid, risk-based decisions and responses to emergent threats, along with our highly specialised equipment and the development of agreed protocols with the industry.

Not only does this mean that journeys are disrupted less frequently, but unintentionally left items are also identified and controlled more quickly.

The direct financial saving for the rail industry achieved by avoiding unnecessary closure of the system is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of pounds since 2004.

Expert policing in a specialist environment

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In 2014/15, we continued to develop and expand our capability and expertise within the Specialist Operations Unit. We have recruited officers with specialist skills from other organisations to ensure that we have the best people to meet the challenge. In April 2015, after full training in our patrol strategies and procedures, armed officers from the Civil Nuclear Constabulary supplemented our protection activities in London during a three-month attachment to our frontline, providing extra visibility and patrols at key railway stations.

As the first British police force to use police dogs over 100 years ago, we are used to providing a lead in policing with the capability offered by specially trained dogs. Our cross-functional Belgian Malinois dogs have been selected for their intelligence, adaptability and protective nature. They are capable of seeking out explosives, as well as being trained to confront threats from violent individuals. Our most recent cohort is close to completing its 22-week training course. They will become the first British police dogs to deliver both of these functions.

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The UK rail industry has undergone a radical transformation over recent years to become one of the safest and most reliable rail networks anywhere in the world.

In 2014/15, the number of rail passenger journeys across England, Scotland and Wales increased to 3.1 billion.1, 2 It is anticipated that the demand for rail services will grow by more than 30% over the next decade.

Over the years, continuous improvement and investment in BTP has delivered impressive operational results. Our unique transport policing ethos, with its deep and clear understanding of

the needs of passengers and the industry, has led to a reduction in crime for eleven

consecutive years and a safer railway for passengers and staff.

We can take great pride in these achievements, but growth across

the industry means there are real challenges ahead. Added to this,

the British Transport Police Authority Strategic Plan requires a 20% reduction in both crime and crime-related disruption and a 10% increase in passenger confidence by 2019. These are appropriate but demanding targets and to achieve them we will have to continually respond and adapt to change.

In 2013, we went through a major organisational restructure and, last year, building on our crime fighting and detection credentials, we introduced a completely new way of working. This was aimed at rebalancing our capability to focus on stopping crime, problem-solving, offender management and a ‘first fix’ approach. Our transformation programme is ambitious and builds on the success of the restructure. It will drive forward five major change programmes: looking at how we operate in the future; the new skills required; how we recruit, train and develop our people; how we develop and manage our workforce and how we harness new technology.

Continuing our transformation

IMAGEREQUIRED?TO BE SUPPLIED

1 https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/displayreport/report/html/02136399-b0c5-4d91-a85e-c01f8a48e07e2 https://tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/annual-report-2014-15.pdf

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To meet our future challenges, more will be needed than new policing skills. That is why we are looking to introduce cutting edge technology with integrated computer systems, handheld mobile devices, body-worn video cameras and making even better use of CCTV.

The new integrated computer system we are in the process of developing will bring together our current four data sources – crime, intelligence, case and custody – and perfectly interface with a new highly sophisticated Command and Control system.

With five systems sharing a common database, the integrity, quality and accessibility of information will be significantly enhanced. It will also automate resource intensive tasks, improve information sharing and allow greater opportunities for collaboration.

We are introducing next generation mobile handheld devices which will provide key information in the palm of the hand. This will include maps, local information and access to central systems for recording and looking up

crime and intelligence data. As a direct result, officers will be able to work remotely and spend less time in the office and more out on the rail network with the aim of providing a better face-to-face service for both passengers and rail staff.

We are also trialling 250 body-worn video cameras at selected locations across the country, to help gather evidence and make swift decisions in custody suites. The trial will test a cloud-based storage system to help us quickly capture, manage and share digital evidence. The outcomes will be improved service delivery and greater transparency.

Over 55,000 CCTV cameras feed into our state of the art CCTV unit. A new programme of work will see this number significantly increase. The CCTV unit is looking at the feasibility of directly feeding real-time information straight to mobile handsets, effectively acting as a ‘third eye’ in support of frontline officers. Innovative trials in analytics and behaviour analysis will examine how new technology can potentially help identify offenders more quickly and prevent suicides.

At the forefront of policing technology

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We take great pride in our professionalism and on the rare occasions that our officers fall short of the high standards we expect of them, it is important that the public have the confidence to report it, with the expectation that it will be fully investigated. It is the role of our Professional Standards Department (PSD) to do just that.

The most recent independent inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) found that we “responded to reports of wrongdoing by staff in an effective and timely manner, particularly when it came to public complaints.” Just as importantly, HMIC

also recorded that “BTP employees are aware of their responsibility to challenge and report misconduct and unprofessional behaviour”, supporting our belief that all our staff are passionate about maintaining high standards of professionalism.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) routinely publishes complaints data for all police forces in England and Wales. The statistics reflect that BTP is performing well when benchmarked against other police forces.

Timeliness is important and we have a statutory obligation to record complaint cases within 10 days of receiving them. In 2014/15, we recorded 95% of all cases within this timeframe compared to the national average of 77%. The same dataset also highlights that, on average, it took us 98 days to finalise allegations, compared to the national average of 140 days. Serious or complex allegations can often involve more time-consuming lines of enquiry, but in all cases, the complainant and the employee concerned are updated within 28 days to explain why there has been a delay.

Pride in our professionalism

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The 2014/15 IPCC data also identified that there were 150 allegations per 1,000 BTP employees, against a national average of 293. This means BTP is one of the forces to experience the least number of complaints in the country.

Our officers work in demanding and often hazardous environments and although we do expect some complaints about their actions, we want to keep these to a minimum. That is why our PSD unit continuously drives through and promotes excellent standards of behaviour.

Throughout BTP, there is a culture of supportive learning in an environment where the workforce and the public feel confident to report when things go wrong.

This year HMIC also conducted an inspection into the integrity of our crime data, examining three key areas – leadership and governance, systems and processes, and people and skills. Their assessment checked the confidence of the public when reporting crime to BTP and the level of service received by victims.

During the inspection, HMIC examined more than 500 crime records and concluded that we performed strongly, with a crime recording accuracy of over 95%. The way we handle calls and our contact with the public was also evaluated. HMIC found that we demonstrate a strong victim focus, our operators are polite and professional and the information recorded is accurate and precise.

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It is important for us to know that the public has confidence in the service we provide. However, it is just as important that we understand and respond to their individual needs.

Overall passenger confidence is measured in the National Rail Passenger Survey carried out independently by Transport Focus. The survey includes questions that relate specifically to the service BTP provides for the travelling public. We meticulously analyse the findings and triangulate the data with other areas

of research in order to gain the best possible understanding of how we can better focus resources to improve passenger satisfaction.

Findings from the latest National Rail Passenger Survey [Spring 2015]

show that passenger confidence is currently at 77.75%.

Each year we decide our policing targets for the coming year with the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA) .We feel it is important that these targets reflect the needs of the travelling public. In September 2014, we conducted our own public consultation to give customers an opportunity to directly feed back their views on railway policing.

We received more than 6,000 replies and, perhaps unsurprisingly, antisocial behaviour was the policing priority most commonly highlighted. This was closely followed by people wanting to see more police officers patrolling on the railway, particularly on evening or late-night trains.Reducingcrime-relateddisruption,violentcrime and sexual offences were also significant priorities. Other issues respondents suggested were of interest to them included more active engagement, changes to the environment at stations, action on theft of personal property and ticket evasion.

Caring about our customers

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A specially-tailored action plan is now in place focusing activity on those areas which were said to be of most concern. To complement this, we have launched a campaign to tell passengers what we are doing in response to their feedback. The campaign has the simple message – “You said, we did” .

The experiences of rail staff are equally as important to us and we have introduced a survey specifically for staff which complements the public questionnaire. This provides an opportunity for staff to tell us and the train operating companies (TOCs) how safe they feel working on the railways. The survey draws on a number of the questions from the National RailPassengerSurveyandenablesustolookcomparatively at what drives passenger and rail staff confidence.

Resultsfromthe2015RailStaffSurvey,whichreceived responses from 3,742 rail staff across 29 TOCs, showed that 64.8% of respondents rated their personal security whilst at work as ‘good’ or ‘very good’.

Resultsfromthesurveyarebeinganalysedtolook at how the actions that were put into place following the previous survey have helped and what more we can do.

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There are many ways to contact us and even more reasons for doing it. It could be reporting a crime, having your say on a local issue or just asking a question.

This means that all day every day we are having conversations – over the phone, online and in person – with thousands of the people across the nation who rely on us to help get them home safe, secure and on time.

In March 2015, our 61016 text service was two-years-old. In 2014/15, we received 8,926 texts – an average of 744 a month. Since its launch, more than17,000textshavebeenreceived.Respondingto those texts has delivered real results.

These are just two examples. We arrested an alleged sex attacker after his victim spotted him on a train some months later and sent a text to us on 61016. Officers were able to intercept the train and make an arrest without the victim needing to identify themselves at that point. After receiving a text saying rugby supporters were behaving in an intimidating manner on a train, we met the train and arrested two men for being drunk and disorderly. The text service allows passengers and rail staff to report incidents on a train or at a station discreetly 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Social media has also become a crucial two-way communication tool, with some of our Twitter posts reaching up to half a million people. A look at the conversations we have online every day gives an insight into the breadth and depth of our work – from encouraging the public to save 61016 in their phones and highlighting the importance of reporting unwanted sexual behaviour, through to running a competition to name the latest recruit to our dog section.

We have more than 45 frontline teams represented on Twitter across the country, with officers tweeting from Aberdeen down to Bournemouth. Our main Twitter account, @BTP, has been active for four years, accumulating 66,000 followers and sending more than 15,000 tweets.

We are proud of our pioneering use of new social media platforms and techniques, and in 2014/15 we joined Instagram, Vine, Periscope and CoverItLive.

Find us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and keep up to date with us on social media – see our full listings at btp.police.uk .

Join the conversation

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Follow @BTP or your local policing team or officer for updates. Search for British Transport Police on Twitter.

Watch videos and find out more about what we do. Search for British Transport Police on Facebook.

Find out more about us btp.police.uk

Text 61016 to report incidents on your train or at a station, or call us on 0800 40 50 40. In an emergency, always call 999

See how we capture moments from the work we do. Search for British Transport Police on Instagram.

Report it

Interact with us

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226 (7.6%) of our police officers, 46 (14.2%) of our police community support officers and 298 (19.4%) of our police staff are from visible ethnic minorities.

527 (17.7%) of our police officers, 82 (25.4%) of our police community support officers and 807 (52.6%) of our police staff are women.

police officers

2,972 247police community support officers

323police staff

1,533special officers

Our people

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We have agreed an overall net budget of £265.927 million for 2015/16 with the British Transport Police Authority.

This is after finding savings of £1.593 million.

Of that overall net budget, £208.753 million is for overground policing and £57.174 million for underground policing.3

Our budget

3 Figures correct at April 2015.25

The year running to 31 March 2015 was busy and successful for BTP. We saw a strong performance with the force meeting the majority of national and local targets, securing a reduction in notifiable crime for an impressive eleventh year running.

Whilst some challenges remain, in particular in reducing disruption, I commend the impressive effort by officers and staff in working towards this important objective.

The British Transport Police Authority (BTPA) also had a remarkable year, which began as the Department for Transport published its triennial review of the BTPA. The conclusions confirmed that the Authority remains fit-for-purpose in overseeing and scrutinising the work of BTP. This strong vote of confidence also shows passengers and the rail industry that the BTPA listens, demonstrates a willingness to work collaboratively and has good leadership.

It is not every year that the Authority sees an almost complete renewal of BTP’s senior command team. The arrival of the new Chief Constable Paul Crowther came as the new ACC for B Division and Crime, Mark Newton,

andthenewDirectorofCapabilityandResources,Simon Downey took up post in the early part of 2014. Later in the year we announced the appointment of Adrian Hanstock as the new Deputy Chief Constable and, closer to home, of the Authority’s Finance Director and Deputy Chief Executive, Charlotte Vitty. We welcome the energy and enthusiasm they have brought to the two organisations.

New faces are giving real impetus to the Chief’s vision for transformation. Having set out his key milestones, the Chief is well on track to deliver improvements in the areas of operations, people, resources and technology. The Authority strongly supports his aims, and is working with the industry to ensure progress continues to benefit from collaboration and dialogue. I made some fresh commitments to the industry last September to ensure we better articulate the impact of BTP’s work, and of course, of the improvements we are seeking to the way we do things.

Millie Banerjee Chair British Transport Police Authority

Closing thoughts from the Authority

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btp.police.uk