The British Transport Police (BTP) Policing Plans for 2020/21 are now available to view on the Policing Plan section of the BTPA website.
While the objectives in these plans were developed prior to the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, the Plan acknowledges that operational focus will remain on the demands posed by the virus and related restrictions, ensuring the railway network remains safe and secure.
This year’s Annual Objectives:
- Protect the railway and prepare for the impact of terrorist attacks
- Protect rail passengers and staff by tackling serious violent crime and robbery
- Partnership working at key locations where there is a high risk associated with vulnerable people or volume crime
- Reduce disruption at trespass locations and continue interventions with those in crisis on the railway
- Adopt a problem solving approach to policing anti-social behaviour and violence associated with football matches
- Protect, support and safeguard vulnerable people and those at risk of harm on the railway
BTPA Chair, Ron Barclay-Smith, said: “We were prepared to publish the 2020/21 Policing Plans in April 2020 but we delayed this due to the swift onset of the Coronavirus crisis.
“Within the space of a few weeks our officers and staff were forced to adapt their ways of working to face the challenges posed by lockdown, new rules relating to the use of the railway and stations, as well as criminality and safeguarding issues that continued even when the majority of railway users were avoiding public places.
“To release our plans for the year in April would have been inappropriate, and the Authority agreed to delay publication and instead put our full support behind the operational decision-making needed by the Force in the face of the crisis.”