Farewell message from the Chief Constable

Friday, 31 July is my last working day in BTP, and I want to say a final very big thank you to everyone in the Force for making my life over the last eight years such a terrific experience.

I am immensely proud of what you all have achieved and it has been a real privilege to have been a part of the team here. Because of all of you, our organisation now has the reputation it has long deserved. The way the Force responded to the tragedy of the London bombings will remain etched in my mind for ever. But so too will the rugged determination of all over many years to improve what we do, in every part of BTP, to raise our standards of performance, and to improve our relationship with those for whom we work.

I will greatly miss BTP in the future, although I very much hope that I will be able to retain contact with all the friends I have made here since I was given the honour of becoming Chief Constable in 2001. It has been the best job in my life.

Andy Trotter has been a fantastic deputy to me, from the first moment he came to BTP, and I am absolutely delighted that he beat ‘all comers’ from across the UK to become your next Chief Constable. I know he will do a brilliant job.

Thanks again to everyone for your friendship and your tremendous achievements. I wish you all every success in the future.

Sir Ian Johnston

Chief Constable

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Message from ACC (Operations) Alan Pacey regarding rosters

As I am sure you are aware, in the near future you will be asked to vote on a new proposed roster pattern applicable to core 24/7 response officers across the Force.

The proposed roster follows a considerable amount of analysis of the profile of our demand and calls for assistance.  It will not surprise you that the demand for our service starts to increase from about 5pm until very late in the evening and on some days into the early hours of the morning.  Additionally, we face severe demand on Saturdays in relation to events and football policing.

Our current rosters (of which there are several across the Force) do not meet the demand profile as most have as many officers on during the day as later in the evening.  I feel certain that like me, you would want to deliver the best possible service to the railway community.  We can only do that by improving the alignment of our officer availability and the demands for our assistance.

The roster that you will be asked to vote on (informally known as roster 9:4) will considerably improve the alignment as mentioned above.  I aim to ensure the 9:4 roster is adopted throughout the Force and only slight differences between areas will be allowed.  The general rest day pattern will remain consistent across the Force.

I fully understand that rosters are an extremely emotive subject for front line officers.  I have therefore attempted to strike the best possible balance between the needs of the Force and the needs of officers.  The proposed roster has 135 rest days in a year and consistent rest day breaks of 3 days. 

I also fully understand that I need enough of you to vote in favour of the roster if it is to be adopted Forcewide from 10 January 2010 as hoped.  I therefore ask you to consider the options and then support me to bring in a pattern of work that will make a positive difference to the service we deliver. 

Your Area Federation representative will explain the voting mechanism to you, but I would like to make it very clear I am resolute in my belief that we need to improve our availability at the time of increased demand.

I would also like to make it clear that the current position is unsustainable.  If the required amount of votes is not achieved, the Force will have to implement a standard 40 hour 5 shift roster pattern.  I genuinely hope that this does not become necessary.

Your Area Senior Management Team will also be briefing you on this issue over the next couple of weeks. 

I really hope you choose to support me in this initiative and look forward to providing an even better service from January 2010.

Alan Pacey

Assistant Chief Constable (Operations)

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Man sentenced for sexual assault on train in South Wales

A Porthcawl man has been sentenced after admitting carrying out a serious sex offence against a man sleeping on board a train in South Wales.

Simon John Mears, 22, pleaded guilty to sexually touching the 21-year-old victim on board a train between Swansea and Bridgend in the early hours of Sunday 10 May.

At Cardiff Crown Court on Friday 24 July, Mears was given a three-year community punishment order and told he must remain on the Sex Offenders’ Register for the next five years.

The charge stemmed from a BTP investigation after the victim reported that Mears had pulled down his trousers and inappropriately touched his genitals while he was sleeping on the train following a night out in Swansea.

The victim, who was returning home to Cardiff, alerted the train conductor who called the police. Mears was arrested by officers when the train arrived at Bridgend station.

When interviewed later that day, Mears admitted carrying out the offence.

PC Richard Powell, of Swansea BTP, said: "The victim in this case was very distressed by what happened to him and showed great courage in reporting the incident to the authorities which led to the arrest of Mears.”

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BTP police staff 2009 pay review

The current economic climate has put considerable pressure on all public and private sector companies. BTP is not immune to these changes and there is considerable pressure on our budget. We know police staff are waiting for a decision regarding pay reviews which are usually announced at this time of year.

Unfortunately, any decision on pay has had to be delayed as BTP needs to balance the impact the economic environment against the obvious desire to reward the commitment and essential role police staff play within the organisation. Against this backdrop, BTP is working with the Authority to establish appropriate parameters around this year’s pay review. 

These parameters are likely to be set in the autumn and, in the meantime, police staff should be reassured that they will be notified of further developments as they occur.

Head of HR, Lorraine Jainudeen, said: “Police staff are a valuable part of the organisation and, if possible, we would like to reward them with a pay award. However, these are exceptional and uncertain times. As a responsible organisation, seeking to protect as many jobs as possible, we must consider the economic climate and reflect the pressure currently being placed on our budget.   

“I would like to reassure all police staff that we are working closely with the Authority to establish a way forward and as soon as there are any developments we will let staff know.”

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WW Weekly is the news update for BTP WW Area. It is sent out to all WW Area officers and staff every Friday. If you have a story you think should appear here, email Brian Price, Media and Marketing Manager, at [email protected]. Copyright © 2009 British Transport Police.