The BTPA is seeking feedback on its draft Strategy for policing the railways until 2021.

Our ongoing review of the operating environment, and feedback received from our stakeholders, suggested our current strategy needed to be revisited before its planned end date.  As such, we are now consulting on the proposed strategy for the British Transport Police (BTP) for 2018-21.

In our 2013-19 Strategy we set out ambitious objectives for the BTP to deliver a high-quality , specialist policing service for the railways.  While our three ‘hard measure’ targets have not been fully met, we believe we have achieved our overarching aim and remain committed to consolidating BTP’s performance in these areas over the life of the new strategy.

However, the Force and our industry partners have made compelling representations about the need to consider an adjustment to a strategy which focused the BTP’s activities on tackling volume crime towards one which was more focused on addressing crimes and incidents which cause greatest threat and risk to people travelling and working on the railway network. As such, we secured support from our partners to conclude our strategy a year early and to move away from numeric success measures during our transitional year, 2017/18.

The feedback received during this consultation stage will be reviewed by the Authority’s Strategy and Planning Committee and used to inform its final recommendations to the full Police Authority.

We invite your views on;

• our planning assumptions
• areas for BTP to focus on over the next three years.

The draft proposals on our Strategy are set out in our supporting document, which includes a number of consultation questions to highlight the key areas in which we are seeking feedback. The closing date for written comments on the Strategic Plan is Friday 2^nd March and guidance on how to respond is included in the attached pack.

The consultation on our supporting policing plans for 2018/19 is also live and you can submit your comments using the Policing Plan survey. The closing date for responses on the draft Policing Plan is Monday 26^th February.

The Department for Transport have published Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary Fire and Rescue Service’s (HMICFRS’s) PEEL report on BTP and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland’s (HMIC’s) Strategic overview of British Transport Police in Scotland including the proposed transfer to Police Scotland. We at the BTPA welcome both reports.

The reports which follow on from an inspection in February 2017, look at British Transport Police’s efficiency and legitimacy. An inspection by HMICFRS later this year will look at the Force’s effectiveness to complete PEEL’s three pillars.

The reports’ findings are very much in line with what the Authority was expecting, for the most part confirming what we already knew. There is some strong performance to be celebrated but also a few key areas where challenges exist and improvements need to be made.

The Authority is glad to see that both reports highlighted BTP’s strengths, as well as identifying areas where the Force needs to improve. BTP can rightly be proud of the excellent work it does keeping rail passengers and staff safe and on the move but there areas where it can do better. The reports’ findings in the areas of leadership and legitimacy were broadly positive, especially regarding the work the Force does to develop leadership capabilities, instil positive values and ethics in its workforce. The reports also praised the work done to engage with communities, the recognition of the importance of a diverse workforce and the way it treats its workforce with fairness and respect.

However, the reports also identified some areas where improvements need to be made, especially around efficiency, project management, IT, forecasting demand, and seeking out and combating corruption within the Force. These areas will form the focal areas for improvement projects going forward. The Authority will use the reports as it continues the process of revising BTP’s overall strategy for 2018-21. The insights from this report into the Force’s performance in the areas of efficiency, leadership and legitimacy will be invaluable as we look at setting BTP’s strategic priorities for the next three years.

Our internal reviews of governance and process had already brought to light many of the concerns raised by the reports and in some cases the Authority and BTP are already making good progress towards resolving these issues. Equally, we are pleased to see that the inspectors were aware of the work already underway to improve the way in which all the Force’s resources are managed.

The Authority has worked with BTP to ensure it has a robust action plan in place across all the issues raised by the reports and we continue to monitoring delivery of it. We will keep you up to date with progress.

Please click here to download a copy of the full reports.

The British Transport Police Authority is pleased to announce that Charlie Doyle has been appointed as Assistant Chief Constable role at the British Transport Police (BTP) with responsibility for the Public Contact and Specialist Crime portfolio.

With an impressive background in Neighbourhood Policing, Charlie became temporary ACC for Surrey’s neighbourhood portfolio in 2016, after reshaping the role of neighbourhood policing in the Force. He has also been both Divisional Commander and Superintendent Operations for North Surrey.

Charlie will join the Force on 19 September from Surrey Police, where he is currently Head of Transformation and Change at Surrey Police.

Mark Phillips, interim Chairman of the Authority, said “I am very pleased to announce Charlie Doyle’s appointment as the new Assistance Chief Constable at BTP. He brings a great deal of knowledge and experience from his 29 years at Surrey Police, and I am sure he will be an excellent addition to the senior officer team at the Force.”

Charlie said: “I am absolutely delighted to be taking up my new role at BTP – and hugely excited to be starting the next chapter of my policing career with you.

“Having served in Surrey for 29 years, I was only ever going to choose a role that I was particularly passionate about – and I couldn’t miss an opportunity to join such a specialist force at what is a critical time for frontline policing.”

Mark Phillips went on to thank Chief Superintendent Paul Brogden for his work as Temporary Assistant Chief Constable since March. Mark said, “I’d like to also take this opportunity to thank Paul Brogden for his excellent work as Temporary Assistant Chief Constable over the last six months, he has done an excellent job looking after the Public Contact and Specialist Crime portfolio.”

The Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, has agreed the reappointment of three members of the British Transport Police Authority. Dominic Booth, Andrew Pollins and Stella Thomas, who are coming to the end of their first terms as Authority members, will now serve a further four years from the expiry of their current terms.

APPLICATIONS NO LONGER BEING ACCEPTED

The BTPA is currently looking for applicants for the position of Chair of the Authority.

The Secretary of State for Transport is looking to appoint a new Chair who, by building on the strong record of the previous Chair, can provide effective and visible leadership skills which results in the delivery of strong outcomes for the railway. At a critical time for our national security, the new Chair will be responsible for ensuring that the BTPA supports and challenges the BTP so that it maximises its essential contribution to the security of Great Britain’s railways.

The Chair will also be responsible for leading the BTPA through an orderly and timely transfer of the BTP’s functions in Scotland to Police Scotland by April 2019 and for ensuring that the BTP engages positively with the challenge set by the 2015 Spending Review to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the BTP without any negative impacts on the operational effectiveness of the Force.

The British Transport Police (BTP) is the police force for the railways, providing an essential policing service to rail operators, their staff and passengers. As a public body, the specialist British Transport Police Authority (BTPA) holds the BTP to account for the delivery of this vital police service, ensuring its effectiveness and efficiency.

You will need to have a credible track record of driving forward change and improving performance, particularly through constructive challenge and effective decision-making. You should also be a strong communicator who, as well as being able to engage with the public, is able to establish personal credibility with a complex range of stakeholders, including crucially with those operating in the political, commercial and media environments.

For more information, including how to apply, click here for the appointment brief. For the supporting information form, click here. If you have any further questions, please call Laverne Bryant on 020 7388 2643. Applications should arrive no later than noon on 15 September 2017.

£32,000 for circa 60 days over a year – London

Preferred starting date: late 2017/early 2018

Interviews are expected to be held during October/November 2017.

The BTPA values equality and diversity in employment and a socially inclusive transport system.

We want the organisation to be as diverse as the community it serves. We welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of their race, ethnic or national origin, gender, disability, marital status, age, religion or belief, sexual orientation or working pattern.