Five new members have joined the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA) to oversee the performance and budget of the British Transport Police.

The new members, appointed by the Department for Transport (DfT), bring a wide range of expertise from across different sectors and professions to ensure the accountability and integrity of the BTP.

The new members are:

• Fiona Brunskill – A HR and employee relations professional, currently working as Director for People and Change at Transport for London (TfL). She has a wealth of experience across big name companies like Coca Cola and Asda.
• Mike Gallop – Currently the Western Route Director at Network Rail, having been at the organisation for 15 years. Mike has experience in operations, maintenance, engineering asset management and transformational change across the Transport, Water and Power sectors.
• Emir Feisal – A Chartered Accountant, Chartered Director, Fraud examiner and a specialist in transformational change. He has previously worked as Assistant Managing Editor and Head of Finance at the Sunday Times.
• Stewart Jackson – A former MP for Peterborough for 12 years, Stewart also worked as a Special Adviser in the Department for Exiting the European Union.
• Nick Hawkins – A former Chief Crown Prosecutor and Barrister, with a background in criminal justice. He has also worked as Chief Operating Officer of the Independent Police Complaints Commission and has many years’ experience in leadership roles in the Royal Navy.

Chair of the BTP Authority, Ron Barclay-Smith, said: “I am pleased these five new members have been appointed to support the Authority’s critical work.

“Britain’s Railways are facing a period of unprecedented change; recovering from the pandemic and evolving to align with the ambitions of the Williams-Shapps review. The Authority members will play a critical role in ensuring BTP is in fit shape to support the industry through these changes, protecting passengers and keeping rail staff and infrastructure safe from harm.”

You can read the biographies of all our members on the Members section of our website.

 

 

 

The British Transport Police Authority (BTPA) would be grateful for your time in commenting on our strategy for policing the railways from 2022-27.

This strategy spans a time of huge change in the way the railway is operated and organised and during that time, we will need to play our part to ensure the security of the new railway is safeguarded. That work will continue behind the scenes but this simple, public-facing strategy is designed to communicate clearly to rail partners and public alike how we plan to police the railway during this period.

The strategy lays out our strategic objectives, our plans for delivery and the metrics we will use to demonstrate success. It has a broader and longer term ambition than our policing plans, on which we have recently consulted, and for which we have been very grateful for the engagement of our rail industry partners.

Draft Strategic Plan 2022-27

If you have any comments on the Plan linked above, please contact Katie Stanton on [email protected].

 

The BTPA would like to hear your views on our plans for policing the rail network in England, Scotland and Wales. This is a time of great change for the rail industry. But it remains as important as ever that passengers and staff feel safe and trains run on time.

We have developed our plans following discussion with partners from across the rail industry. These plans focus on tackling crime but they focus equally on protecting the most vulnerable using our rail network and on preventing activity that causes disruption to rail services.

We have developed a three-year plan which will take us to 2025. We will carry out an annual review process, which will ensure that our Policing Plans remain relevant throughout the three years.

You can provide your views on the Policing Plans through this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BJH22SL

We would really appreciate your comments to help us to keep passengers safe and to keep trains running.

The British Transport Police Authority (BTPA) wishes to congratulate Detective Sergeant Andy Winters who has been awarded the Queen’s Police Medal (QPM) in Her Majesty The Queen’s 2022 New Year Honours for his unwavering commitment to keeping the public safe and considerable contribution to UK policing.

BTPA Chair Ron Barclay-Smith says: “On behalf of my Authority colleagues, I am delighted that DS Winters’ commitment has been recognised and this honour is very well deserved after 38 years of stellar service to policing. DS Winter is well known for his open and engaging approach with his colleagues, dedicated teamwork, and for his tenacity and determination in investigating the most difficult crimes – seeking justice for those that deserve it most. His long career has spanned many areas of policing, all with the aim of keeping those that BTP serve safe.”

More information about this award can be found on the BTP website.

As we come to the end of another challenging year, on behalf of the Authority Members and BTPA Executive, I want to thank each and every one of you for all of your hard work and commitment. The past 12 months have shown once again that BTP is a resilient and professional force, and the positive feedback received from both Government and the industry reinforces this view. The work you undertake, whether it be on the front line or in support, is crucial and essential across Scotland, Wales and England.

During the year we welcomed a new Chief Constable, Lucy D’Orsi, and more recently a new Deputy Chief Constable, Alistair Sutherland. I believe that under their leadership the Force will develop further to achieve new heights and I urge you all to support them as they tackle the challenges and opportunities which the Force faces. In the past year, despite a constantly changing and uncertain environment, you all have risen admirably to the challenge, and have continued to provide the highest-possible standard of protection for passengers, rail staff and critical national infrastructure. In addition, I am proud of your continued successes achieved in multiple operations and initiatives across England, Wales and Scotland; notable amongst these achievements were the significant roles played by BTP at both COP26 in Glasgow and the G7 in Cornwall which drew praise from the “host” forces at these events.

I am also deeply grateful to those officers and staff working over the holiday period to keep rail staff and passengers safe during the festive season. It is very much appreciated.

I am also conscious that we ask much of you and I am also aware that your families and friends provide essential support to you: you do a difficult, complex and unfortunately sometimes dangerous job, and the support many of you are given by your families helps considerably with the challenges you must face. My thanks to all your families and friends for that support.

I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Ron Barclay-Smith

Chair, BTPA