Minutes:
The presentation from British Transport Police (BTP) was given by Station Commander Kasia Filipek.
Ms Filipek explained that the ambition and purpose of the BTP was to provide a first class police force that would help the travelling public to get home safely and on time every day.
The BTP had 4 strategic objectives which were:
· Reduce disruption
· Reduce crime
· Increase confidence
· Deliver value for money
Ms Filipek outlined the 7 BTP priorities:
· Counter terrorism
· Preventing crime
· Protecting vulnerable people
· Supporting the railways
· Supporting and valuing the BTP workforce
· Building confidence and satisfaction
· Improving effectiveness and efficiency
The Station Commander highlighted that with respect to counter terrorism, it was one of her officers that was first on the scene at the recent terrorist incident at London Bridge. She emphasised the need for public support. More officers were being trained in the use of tasers and firearms.
The Station Commander referred to vulnerable people and explained that in this group, BTP would class children, people who were suicidal and others who had been sexually assaulted. Advertising campaigns had been undertaken to encourage the reporting of offences, discouraging hate crime, and warning young people of the dangers of playing on railway lines. The Committee were informed that a mental health suicide reduction team had been set up.
BTP worked in partnership with industry and other partners to keep the railway running efficiently and on time. They responded quickly to incidents that caused delay in order to safeguard the public and reinstate services as quickly as possible.
Ms Filipek highlighted that BTP supported and valued staff, and that TRIM and Carefirst counselling services had been established to provide support.
The Committee were briefed on the Demand Review that aimed to address how the Force could balance its services in line with the demand of passengers and the rail industry.
The review commenced in 2015 and looked at how BTP could more effectively manage resources, taking in to account the peak times for specialist services.
Proposals indicated how BTP could better align the working arrangements of PCs and PCSOs to the times and days of the week when calls for service were highest. The proposals were based on an examination of crime levels, incidents and other calls for service and public order policing.
The Demand Review was completed and implemented on 9th of April 2017.
The Chairman asked what sort of response was received from the public in terms of providing information and intelligence. The Station Commander advised that BTP received a lot of information that was useful, and which could in some cases be used to prevent future attacks.
Councillor Botting asked the Station Commander how she felt about her officers using tasers. The Station Commander responded that she was from Poland and that in Poland all officers were armed. As far she was concerned, tasers were a tool that was required.
Councillor Benington asked if there were geographical limits to the jurisdiction of the BTP. The Station Commander responded that the BTP had a national power of arrest.
Dr Robert Hadley asked how the BTP was funded. It was explained that funding came from the Home Office and from the train operating companies.
The Chairman enquired about ASB and wondered how the BTP dealt with beggars and people putting their feet on seats. The Station Commander responded that if they saw people putting their feet on seats, they would ask them to take their feet off the seats. They would not normally arrest anyone for this offence as it was not considered a good use of time and resources. The BTP were more likely deal with beggars as in many cases, begging was linked to organised crime.
The numbers to contact BTP were:
0800 405040
Text 61016
In an emergency always call 999.
The Chairman thanked the Station Commander for her very interesting and informative presentation.