The organisation that oversees the work of the British Transport Police (BTP) is celebrating its tenth anniversary today having spent the past decade working with the Force, passenger groups and the rail industry to ensure 7 million people have a safe journey every day.

The British Transport Police Authority (BTPA) was established by Act of Parliament a decade ago to ensure that BTP were appropriately managed and funded in order to police Britain’s railways in the 21^st century and beyond.

Today, BTPA with its13 members, who bring industry knowledge of passengers, policing and the railways, oversee the work of the Force and its 2,866 officers who police Great Britain’s 20,000 miles of track.

As well as setting the Force’s budget, BTPA sets the strategy for policing the railways and the policing targets to achieve this each year, it appoints its senior officers, including the chief constable, employs all officers and staff, and holds the Force to account.

Millie Banerjee Chair of the British Transport Police Authority since 2008 said:

“So much has changed in the past ten years and BTPA has continued to evolve and grow to support the BTP as it responds and adapts to the increasing demand from passengers and an ever expanding rail infrastructure.

“The rail industry shows no signs of slowing down; it is like the blood supply to the body, it feeds business and industry every day to enable them to grow. HS1, 2 and 3 indicate the future of the railways and BTPA has its finger on the pulse and will work with BTP to ensure it is ready and equipped to support the rail industry, its passengers and staff and its growing demand. This is an exciting milestone for the Authority and the last ten years highlights what we are together capable of delivering.”

Since the Authority was set up in 1 July 2004 the BTP have benefited from funding provided by the rail industry that reflects the scale of the Force’s job and crime on the railways has been down year on year.

Chief Constable of BTP Paul Crowther said: “Crime on the railways is down for the tenth year in succession. There are 75% fewer robberies on the rail system than in 2004, people are eight times less likely to be a victim of crime on the railways than elsewhere and cable theft – a major issue for the railway industry – has reduced by 48%.

“We are world class – and world leaders – in reducing disruption related to fatalities, and our stakeholders want us to be first on scene to all incidents as we are the trusted leaders in these, often traumatic, situations.

“All this has been achieved during the tenure of the British Transport Police Authority and this would not have been possible without its continuing support and belief in the Force.”

 BTPA ten years – ten things you should know:

• There is only 1 specialist Force policing Great Britain’s Railways –BTP and only one body oversees their work – BTPA.

• BTPA has had only 2 chairmen in the last ten years ensuring a strong and consistent vision for the Force – the current chair is Millie Banerjee.

• A recent Force restructure now means that BTP divides the country into 3 divisions B: London, C: North of England, the Midlands, Wales and the South West, and D: Scotland.

• The Authority have set BTP a national target to reduce crime by 4% on last year’s figures.

• A multi-agency task force led by BTP was backed by government to the tune of £5million to tackle metal theft in 2011, since then cable theft has more than halved and arrests for metal theft shot up by 80 per cent.

• The Authority holds 6 meetings a year which are open to the public.

• The country is divided into 7 smaller sub-divisions and each one has a Superintendent who oversees the day to day policing on their patch.

• Between 2013 – 2015 BTPA has agreed that £8million will be directed to the frontline to deliver 208 more police officers thanks to efficiency savings.

• They Authority has set 9 national targets for the Force to meet this 2014 -15.

• Since the Authority was set up crime has been down every year for the last 10 years and is at its lowest ever level on London Underground.

The British Transport Police Authority (BTPA) bid a fond farewell to a member who has been with the Authority since its inception and who, for the last ten years, has ensured the interest of rail staff and BTP officers were at the heart of the Authority’s decisions.

Lew Adams has been with the Authority since 1 July 2004 and is the last of the original body of members. Lew’s term ends poignantly on the eve of the Authority’s ten year anniversary.

A keen Arsenal fan, Lew has also fully supported the ‘boys and girls in blue’ ensuring the British Transport Police had the money, tools and resources needed to police Great Britain’s railways.

During his ten years as a member Lew sat on several committees including one that determined the policing targets for the Force each year and played a key role in balancing the Authority’s aspirations for BTP with what was deliverable.

Lew has also been instrumental in bringing about change that will vastly improve the wellbeing of the Force – particularly for those on the frontline.

As Lead Member for Health and Safety, Lew and the Authority worked closely with BTP for a year and earlier this month BTPA and the Force introduced new H&S Policy.

Improvements include a new interim Head of Safety and Wellbeing, who will oversee the wellbeing of officers and staff nationally as well as a rollout of force wide monthly wellbeing days where officers can get regular check-ups and advice.

Andrew Figgures Chief Executive of the British Transport Police Authority at a presentation for Lew said:

“Lew has been a stalwart supporter and ally for BTP officers and has brought with him vast experience of the rail industry which has made him an asset to the Authority. On behalf of BTPA I want to thank him for his contributions over the years and wish him all the best.”

BTP’s Deputy Chief Constable David McCall added:

“Lew has consistently looked out for the interests of BTP and our officers and his voice has been heard loud and clear particularly when it comes to their health, safety and wellbeing.

As an Authority member Lew has made a real difference to the police service for the railways and we are grateful for the support and challenge he has provided. We wish Lew every success in whatever cause he intends to champion next.”

“Ten years has flown by” said Lew. “When I joined the Authority BTP was in a poor state now they are at the top of the league. I have always done what I can to support the people who work for the Force and on the railways and I am proud to see the Force go from strength to strength.”

Pic caption: From L to R Andrew Figgures Chief Executive BTPA, Brian Philpott Deputy Chair BTPA, Lew Adams Member and Deputy Chief Constable BTP David McCall.

 

BTPA is seeking an experienced finance professional to fill the position of Finance Director and act as Deputy Chief Executive.

The Authority is looking for a qualified accountant with the drive and energy for this demanding role.

The Finance Director will be responsible for providing independent financial advice to the Authority in all respects of its activity, including strategic planning and policy making process, as well as on budgetary matters.

They will also work closely with BTP colleagues to ensure that the financial affairs of the Authority and Force are properly administered and that financial regulations are observed and kept up to date.  The Finance Director will have overall responsibility for the Authority’s charging model which is used to defray the policing costs to the operators that provide and use the railways.

If you think you have the commitment, dedication and leadership to move the Authority forward we look forward to hearing from you.

For more information contact Andrew Figgures, Chief Executive on 020 7383 7708.

Documents to download

Applications for this position close at 5pm on Tuesday 8 July 2014.

BTPA FD Appointment Pack

Equal Opportunites Monitoring Form

Contact information

If you have any questions about the application process please contact Business Manager Lucy Yasin on 020 7383 3844 or email [email protected].

We want our organisation to be as diverse as the community it serves. We welcome applicants from all sections of community.

About the BTPA

BTPA is an independent body of that oversees the British Transport Police. It is composed of 15 members who represent the rail operators and passengers. It maintains the force’s budget, allocates resources and makes senior appointments to the force. For more information, visit www.btpa.police.uk .

British Transport Police is the specialist, national police service for Britain’s railways. It deals with major and minor crime, disorder and incidents, and covers the rail system in England, Wales and Scotland. Its police officers, Police Community Support Officers, Special Constables and support staff are recruited and trained like those of local forces and have the same powers.

The British Transport Police Authority has commended the BTP for its successful work around suicide prevention on the railways and agreed to work together to ensure the recording of stop and search data can stand up to scrutiny in light of the recent HMIC inspection report.

The Authority, which oversees the work of the Force, commended BTP at a Performance Review Committee in May for the successful work they had carried out in the past year to deliver the Policing Priorities for 2013 -14.

The committee focused on key areas of performance including the progress BTP and partners were making in reducing disruption and the causes of disruption including suicides, attempted suicides and trespass.

The members commended BTP on its continued innovative partnership work to prevent suicide on the railways.

BTP signed an agreement earlier in the year between police, the NHS and other service providers which seeks to improve mental health crisis care and drive up standards. The Authority asked to be kept informed of best practice and of any problems which might need support at a national level.

The Authority was also impressed by the Force’s new approach to tackling repeat assaults on rail staff which includes improved systems to identify rail employees who are repeat victims of crime and seeks to understand why some are repeatedly targeted.

The Force’s use of stop and search powers was another key area of discussion with the Force reporting that much of the work BTP had embarked on, to review the quality and quantity of stop and search encounters, was already in line with Home Office reform.

The committee was encouraged by the Forces progress and arranged to work with BTP to carry out a more detailed analysis of the data to ensure accuracy of stop and search recording.

Liz France BTPA Member and Chair of the Performance Review Committee explained:

“BTP did excellent work last year and this is something which the Authority wants to build on.

“Following the recent HMIC inspection of crime data integrity and reforms to stop and search we need to continue to ask questions of the Force which give us, and through us, those who come in to contact with BTP, confidence that the data tells an accurate story, stands up to scrutiny and meets the highest standards.”

The British Transport Police Authority (BTPA) has responded to an announcement today by the Welsh Government to provide a further £15.8m to fund extra Community Support Officers including an extra £257,000 to continue to fund seven CSO’s for BTP and a part funded Police Inspector post based in North Wales over a three-year period.

Millie Banerjee Chair of BTPA which oversees the work of the BTP said:

“We welcome the support of the Welsh Government in continuing to fund these posts and helping us to deliver a safer more efficient rail journey in Wales. CSO’s play an important role in policing the railways their presence makes people feel safe and their patrols reduce crime.”