The British Transport Police Authority (BTPA) has committed to working closely with the Scottish Government following the announcement that policing of the railways in Scotland is to be devolved.

Responding to the announcement on Thursday, 22 January, Chair of the BTPA, Millie Banerjee, said:

“Today’s announcement is about giving the Scottish people the power to decide how the rail network is policed. Work on how this can be done is already underway and we look forward to continuing conversations with the Scottish Government in order to develop the best possible model for policing the railways in Scotland.

“Our main priority is to ensure passengers are not put at risk by any changes.”

Chief Constable of the BTP Paul Crowther said:

“The continued safety and security of the travelling public in Scotland, and the rest of the UK, remains our top priority.

“The public can be assured that while discussions over future reforms take place, we will continue to provide the professional and specialist police service they expect. Despite the uncertainty of recent months, our officers and staff have got on with the job with dedication and professionalism, and they will continue to do so.”

The full Government announcement is available on the Scotland Office website (BTP is covered on page 72).

In an open letter to the rail community BTPA Chair Millie Banerjee has set out her vision for how the Authority intends to work better with colleagues in the rail world in a bid to continue ‘shaping progress together’.

Dear colleague,

You may remember at our annual stakeholder event I promised to write to you to expand on the commitments I made during the meeting.

There are a number of drivers for these commitments including a government review of our work which reflected industry opinion, conversations I have had with many of you and the feedback from our survey of managing directors and security heads.

This letter outlines what we understand to be your concerns and how the Authority will address them.

Some of you have suggested that the BTPA needs to have an enhanced understanding of your business in order to better inform the decisions we make about the policing plans and the medium term financial plan necessary to fund our strategy. To do this will require us to capture your plans at company level so that we can factor them into determining our priorities to support you in the delivery of your plans. I will do this by meeting you annually before the Authority makes a final decision on the policing plans.

You have told me that whilst you appreciate the level of consultation that we carry out – you are unclear about what is done with your input. I will ensure that each of you is informed of the decisions we have come to which reflect your operation and how we arrived at them. These decisions will be about priorities, targets and objectives and the resources which will be deployed to deliver them. I will ensure that the resources and their deployment will be visible to you so that you can make plans accordingly. In the near future my ambition is to describe the deployment of police as well as industry resources so that we coordinate our efforts to reduce disruption and crime whilst increasing passenger confidence.

I have promised we will control costs and spend no more than is necessary to achieve our objectives. I will ensure that the efficiency and effectiveness of the decisions we make when considering business cases to further improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Force, will be recorded to enable you to see the business sense in them.

I will also ensure that you can see the efficiencies we are making to control costs.

Any savings we make will not be reinvested unless there is a compelling operational and financial case for doing so. I will do this by making clear the assumptions on which our medium term financial plan is based so you can see what is brought into the plan and what has been saved. When the new operating model for the Force is fully implemented in 2017 we will be able to explain the rationale underpinning the policing capability we have and its deployment.

I have made the point that the British Transport Police is a national police force which polices the network not just a particular line of route. It therefore has all the obligations and responsibilities that that entails. I will make it clear to you where statutory responsibilities and changes in legislation incur unavoidable costs through new capability or an increase in workload. You will be given an explanation in writing followed up by a visit if required when you receive your annual bill. This will explain how your charges are allocated and reflect not just those officers deployed policing your route  to deliver the policing plan, but also the amount that goes towards paying for the capability a national police force requires to be effective – such as  intelligence, management of offenders and the criminal justice process.

And finally, I will communicate through the Rail Delivery Group to ensure they understand our national objectives and the financial assumptions that underpin them. I shall do this prior to the Authority agreeing the policing targets and once they have been agreed the reasons for our decisions will be made clear on public record, the highlights of which will be emailed to you.

I will try to fulfil as many of these commitments as I can between now and the next financial year, but change does take time. What I can assure you is that you will see many of these commitments fulfilled from the next financial year.

My commitments to you will only be delivered if the Force communicates and cooperates with you at a local level in the development and delivery of the policing plan. Last year we initiated a bottom up approach to developing the policing plan. We shall build on this to better deliver the local requirement.

I welcome your assessment of how this is working and your assistance in the delivery of these commitments.

Millie Banerjee,

Chair of the BTPA.

 

View related news items: Shaping progress together / Rail industry voice support for the BTPA

The BTPA has responded to a report released today that has recommended the functions of the British Transport Police in Scotland will be a devolved matter.

The Smith Commission, led by Lord Smith in consultation with the Scottish Parliament’s five parties was set up to recommended a package of powers that should be devolved to Scottish Parliament.

Millie Banerjee Chair of the British Transport Police Authority said: “The Authority will be keeping a close eye on this matter and will provide any assistance necessary to the DfT whilst the UK and Scottish government discuss this recommendation.

“Until then it is business as usual for the BTP.”

BTPA Member Vacancies (x4) – 

Deadline extended to 19 December 2014

The British Transport Police Authority exists to ensure the efficient and effective policing of Britain’s railways by the British Transport Police. The Authority is responsible for the strategy, the policing plan and the budget for policing the railways.

The Secretary of State for Transport is now seeking to appoint up to four members who can enhance the work of the Authority through their skills, knowledge and experience consisting of:

• three members with knowledge of rail industry interests
• one member with knowledge of rail staff interests

As someone with knowledge of the interests of the railway industry you will understand the contribution the British Transport Police make to the safety and security of an expanding rail system including passenger or consumer rights.

You will need to demonstrate highly developed team-working and interpersonal skills, integrity and sound judgement. A solid commitment to an equal opportunities and diversity agenda is paramount.  Experience of engaging effectively with the commercial world is essential.

The post is 30 days a year for four years at a salary of £16,066 pa.

For further details call 020 7388 2643 or email [email protected] or write to us.

Documents to download

Member appointment brief

Member appointment form

Closing date for applications: 5pm Friday 19 December 2014.

Interviews are expected be held in February 2015.

We value a diverse workforce and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

 

A government review into the BTPA has concluded that it is an organisation that listens, has demonstrated a willingness to work collaboratively with the rail industry and has good leadership.

In the second, and final part of a review into the Authority’s work, the Minister of State for Transport Baroness Kramer has released a report which follows up on findings announced in the summer.

In a statement issued this morning the minister said:

“I am pleased to announce the conclusion of the second part of the review and the publication of the Part 2 report.

“The Part 2 report explores concerns on the part of the industry in relating the costs incurred to the services delivered by the BTP; and what can be done to reduce costs and to create a more harmonious and productive relationship between the Force, the Authority and its stakeholders.

“The report reflects the generally positive view of the BTPA’s current leadership and an improving trend in its willingness to act collaboratively and to consult. It also makes a number of recommendations for a sensible way forward for the future, a number of which build on the good progress that the BTPA has already made.”

In response to Baroness Kramer’s announcement Chair of the BTPA Millie Banerjee said:

“We welcome part two of this government review and the conclusion of what has been a thought provoking and well considered look into our work.

“Part two of the report has identified a number of areas of work which we believe are already being addressed by our strategy to enable the rail industry to see a much closer link between financial input and policing outcome.

“We see the rail industry as a vital link in the delivery of the best possible policing of Britain’s railways and we have made a number of commitments recently that will see us continue shaping progress together.”

The Triennial Review has been carried out in two parts. Part 1 of the review, which was published on 14 July, considered the continuing need for the BTPA’s functions and the case for it to remain a Non Departmental Public Body, and that it is complying with recognised principles of good corporate governance.

Part 2 of the review has considered a wider range of issues raised by the industry about the effectiveness of the BTPA in the discharge of its functions and the industry’s ability to influence outcomes.