Whether it is for work, rest of play, the railways are at the heart of keeping us moving around the UK. Our communities are always moving, so we’re there for every event, from small personal journeys to big national occasions.
We make sure millions of people can travel safely every day. We safeguard over a quarter of a million tonnes of freight that gets moved from depots to docks. We police major sporting events, concerts and demonstrations. Every one of us is united by the goal of keeping everyone moving in the right direction, including our employees.
British Transport Police (BTP) keep millions of people moving safely on Britain’s rail networks every day. We support each other and help communities get to their destinations safely, no matter where they are going or why. When it comes to your career journey, we’ll do the same.
We protect and police 10,000 miles of track and 3,000 railway stations and depots every day, so that millions of people can make the journeys that matter to them.
We’re proud to police the London Underground system, the Docklands Light Railway, the Midland Metro Tram System, the Croydon Tramlink, the Sunderland Metro and the Glasgow Subway.
These are unique policing environments, with unique sets of needs. That is why we use our time, skills and resources to empower our staff with excellent training to ensure we’re able to deal with rail crime across counties, countries and networks.
We’re not like any other Force. We are a national Force and we work in a challenging environment, which means we have specialist skills to protect our communities. Our people are trained to the highest standards to keep us one step ahead. It’s everything you would expect to experience in a police Force and much more.
British Transport Police is also committed to building a flexible workplace that empowers our people to make choices that supports a work/life balance that works for them and our organisation.
Our values are critical to creating an environment where we can all be our best and deliver brilliant outcomes for our people and the public we serve. They support us to achieve our purpose by guiding every decision we make and every action we take.
• We are proud to protect
• We care
• We do the right thing
• We strive to be better every day
• We are one BTP
We’re passionate about recognising and rewarding those who help us protect every journey. It’s you who makes the difference, so our benefits are designed with you in mind. Take a look at what’s on offer:
Blue Light card:
• A Blue Light Card costs £4.99 for two-years and gives you access to a range of discounts, both online and on the high street.
Maternity, Paternity and Adoption leave:
• 26 weeks full pay maternity and adoption leave after a qualifying period. Paid paternity leave.
Transport Benevolent Fund:
• A charity to support employees in the public transport industry for a small monthly payment.
Travel on Duty:
• All Police officers and Special Constables are entitled to free travel on all National Rail services when on duty, whether or not they are in uniform. Entitlement to travel is granted by the warrant card which must be shown on request, even if wearing BTP uniform.
Health and Wellbeing Benefits:
i) Employee Assistance
BTP’s employee assistance programme is a free, confidential service which supports our employees in resolving personal problems and improving their overall wellbeing.
ii) Wellbeing Hub
Internal knowledge hub containing news, information and resources on a variety of topics, wellbeing events and details of all our support services.
Private Medical Healthcare:
• Private health insurance is available to Superintendents and Police staff in grades C003 and C004 and above and their families.
Eye care provision:
• Computer users are entitled to eye care examinations and glasses paid for by BTP.
CSSC Sports and Leisure:
• A not-for-profit organisation positively promoting health and wellbeing in the workplace.
Our people make us stronger
Our Commitment to Inclusion
At British Transport Police, we pride ourselves on our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. We want to ensure that our workplace is as inclusive as it can be and that everything that we do helps our people to feel safer, happier and more productive at work. We know that this makes us a better employer and also helps us to attract, recruit and retain a diverse workforce. Having a diverse workforce is good for business and ensures that we provide the very best service for all our service users; whether they work or travel on the railway network.
We’re proud to champion our support associations. These are networks of employees who join together as a community in the workplace based on a shared identity, background, cultures or similar life experiences.
– The Ability Network
– Association of Muslim Police (AMP)
– Christian Police Association (CPA)
– Female Police Association (FPA)
– Gypsy Roma Traveller Police Association (GRTPA)
– Hindu Police Association (HPA)
– Jewish Police Association (JPA)
– LGBT+ Support Network
– National Police Autism Association (NPAA)
– Police Pagan Association (PPA)
– SAME (Support Association for Minority Ethnic staff
– Sikh Police Association (SPA)
Our Partners
We’re also proud to work with a variety of external organisations and networks – such as the British Association of Women in Policing, National Black Police Association, National Police Autism Association and the National LGBT+ Police Network.
This list is not exhaustive and we always welcome new ideas for groups that could add benefit to employees.
What is it like being a Special Constable at BTP?
Being a Special at British Transport Police, is going on to a shift and having no idea what’s going to happen, being prepared for the unknown, which is interesting. You need to adapt, there are a lot of different situations and a lot that you will never imagine that you’ll be facing.
What is your favourite moment being a Special?
My favourite moment at British Transport Police for the moment, is a shift I did end of October, where I assisted with an officer, a young person who was detained under section 136 of the mental health act, for her own safety she was detained and took to a place of safety where she needed to be assessed by doctors. It was a very long shift, very intense, with a lot of up and downs, but it was probably the most interesting one I’ve done so far, it was the most interesting one.
Working 16 hours as a Special is easily done, some companies are in partnership with BTP, so they release you to do these duties, so your 16 hours are done for your work, and on a personal level, 16 hours is basically two days for the month which is easily done as well.
Any advice for someone thinking of becoming a Special?
I would say to someone who was thinking about it to just go with it, crack on do it, the only limits for you to not do it is yourself. Whatever happens it’ll be a great experience and you’ll meet some great people, so my advice is you want to do it don’t think twice, go ahead.
Being a female in the British Transport Police is not an issue, you’re exactly the same as your male colleagues you get the same training, the same kit, so there is no difference between a male and a female officer.
The myths around Specials, I think a lot of people believe that Specials are not real officers, but that is wrong. As a Special constable you are sworn in. You get exactly the same training, the same kit, the same support, the same advice. There’s no difference between being a Special police constable and an officer; the only difference is the amount of hours that you do as you have another job aside.
I have been a PCSO for the British Transport Police for several months now based in Reading station.
After several months, I have come to realise that that the role is not just entirely about arresting people, but developing relationships with the public, rail companies and very much a customer facing role, which is what inspired me to take up this role. You may deal with instances like mental health, concern for welfare, sexual assaults to school visits discussing track safety.
My grandad was a police officer during the war for 32 years, and my family worked on the railway, so I felt already there was a real family connection between myself and BTP.
There is a lot of transferable skills from my previous roles that aid the role of a PCSO. I am 53 now, I have two teenagers, ever since I have been at Reading, I feel like a valued and welcome member of the team.
Training does in fact take place in London, which carries across seven weeks, this includes personal safety training, first aid training, examinations and a fitness test.
The work life balance at BTP is great. From when I started, I was with a tutor straight after the completion of my training, so I you’re not thrown in the deep end, which I felt in turn really built up my confidence.
I work four days where I work 8am – 4pm and then a few days off. Then I will do 6 days in a row with a 3pm – 11pm shift. So, there are the odd occasion where you will have to carry on with the job after your hours due to an incident, but do not let that put you off. I do still get to spend a vast amount of with my two teenagers, so the work life balance is really good.
I am very happy in the role as a PCSO, but I know there is progression opportunities available, at the moment I have started to set up charity challenges for females within the force.
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