Millie Banerjee CBE, Chair, BTPA
Andrew Figgures CB CBE, Chief Executive and Accounting Officer, BTPA
The operating context for this Plan is extremely challenging. Protecting the railway infrastructure and those who use it from the threat from international terrorists and other extremist groups remains our top priority. Our imperative will be to continue to develop our counterterrorism capability and capacity, together with our ability to respond to terrorist related incidents. In the year leading up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games we are facing other significant operational pressures. The demands on our resources in terms of football and major events have never been higher. The continuing rise in the price of copper means that tackling cable theft, a significant cause of disruption to the railway network, will continue to be a major challenge for us and our partners.
BTP’s 2011-2014 Strategic Plan will operate in a time of unprecedented financial constraint within the public sector and the rail industry. However this is also predicted to be a period of continuing growth in rail passenger numbers. As such it is essential for BTP to adopt a flexible approach to ensure we are delivering the quality of service passengers and the industry expects: this means having the right people, in the right places, doing the right things. This plan outlines how BTP will match organisational activities to the environment; respond to any perceived threats and exploit identified opportunities with clear objectives that ensure strategic intent turns into operational reality.
BTP’s long term success requires commitment to the highest standards of performance and productivity and we will continuously seek to improve by comparing our performance with others and making use of a range of benchmarking information. For example, the results of the recent value for money inspections of police forces by HMIC have informed the priorities in this strategy. Effective partnership working and a willingness to adapt and embrace new ideas is key.
To succeed also requires the highest standards of corporate behaviour towards everyone we work with, the communities we touch, and the rail environment on which we have an impact. Stakeholder trust is our most valued asset, and for our investors we must demonstrate that we provide a good return on their investment – and to be sure we create that value as effectively as possible. BTP has benefited from significant investment over the last six years and as a result performance has been exceptional. To continue to deliver exceptional performance standards in the face of expected budget cuts requires a more flexible approach. By harnessing new technologies and ideas and working closely with the industry we will seek to make best use of our resources whilst continuously learning and improving. This will allow us to develop the pace of deployment and increase the precision of its effect, increasing flexibility and ability.
On his appointment the Chief Constable set out his vision to Protect and Serve the public and the railway community, placing passengers, rail staff and operators at its core. This Strategic Plan provides the guidance to enable BTP to turn the Protect and Serve agenda into reality, demonstrating how we will evolve over the next three years to result in a better focused and more streamlined organisation. We have clear, well understood and unambiguous objectives. This is BTP’s road to sustainable savings, creating long-term value for our business partners and a more cohesive service for our communities.
Go to Objective 1: Helping to keep rail transport systems running