2007-08 - British Transport Police

Transcription

2007-08
Annual report
Contents
Introduction
2
Maintaining standards without bureaucracy
22
Crime on Britain’s railways
5
Terrorism remains a daily threat
23
Olympic planning is under way
7
Route crime success continues
26
Complementary policing: extending the policing family
8
Helping BTP work smarter
28
Communities crack crime
9
Protecting staff
29
Violence, robbery and knife crime
11
Opening up the international neighbourhood
30
Graffiti hurts
12
Glasgow Subway
31
Alcohol is a major factor in football disorder
13
Employees
32
National network of Neighbourhood Policing Teams
16
Budget
33
Putting more into frontline policing
19
A view from the Police Authority
34
BTP takes the lead on metal theft
20
Have your say
35
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2007-08 Annual report – British Transport Police
2
‹ back to contents
Notifiable crime on Britain’s
railways is down 11% in
2007-08, the fourth successive
annual decrease. A greater
percentage of crime is also
being cleared up, with British
Transport Police’s detection
rate up two percentage points
to 27%.
Commenting on the 16% fall in crime since
2004, BTP Chief Constable Ian Johnston said:
‘What we have seen over the past four years
is a continuing downward trend in crime,
alongside sustained achievement by British
Transport Police in meeting targets set in
successive annual Policing Plans.’
‘This is where I think we can make a greater
impact and the Neighbourhood Policing Teams
(NPTs) that are being put in place at strategic
points across the network will have a big role
to play. They have already helped reduce
crime, now I believe they can help make
people feel safer as well.’
‘The railways are a very safe, low crime
means of transport. It is noticeable, however,
that passengers, and sometimes staff, do not
necessarily feel that it is. A good deal of that
has to do with low level anti-social behaviour
and disorder that can blight people’s journeys
and make working at certain times and
certain places on the network a thoroughly
unpleasant experience.
Forty-nine Neighbourhood Policing Teams are
now operating at strategic points across the
rail network and are a key part of BTP’s strategy
to improve security and perceptions of safety.
Crime on
Britain’s railways
is down for
fourth year
Crime on Britain’s railways is down
for fourth year continued
The NPTs are a considerable commitment and
we are only able to make that commitment in a
limited number of places. To help us deliver as
many as we can across the network, we have
been reviewing our back office operations as
part of the Frontline First programme, to find
extra resources to put into frontline policing.’
NPTs bring BTP closer to the community,
which has benefits not only for crime, but
crucially for the prevention of terrorism. The
support of communities for police is ultimately
the only way that terrorists will be defeated.
The threat level has remained “Severe” during
the year, meaning that an attack is “highly
likely”. As a result, BTP’s activity to prevent
and deter terrorist activity has been kept at
a high level, ranging from widespread use of
stop and search powers under Section 44 of
the Terrorism Act 2000 to increased efforts at
community engagement across the country.
The establishment of a National Independent
Advisory Group (NIAG) consisting of individuals
from a wide range of communities, who help
advise and provide critical input to BTP operations
and policy making, has been a great help to us.
‘Because of the unique environment in which
we operate, we use a range of measures to
ensure security,’ explained Mr Johnston. ‘High
visibility policing and continuous security checks
at stations are supplemented by the use of
explosives dogs and of stop and search.
‘Every passenger going airside at an airport
is screened and checked. That is not possible
within the context of an open mass transit
system like the railways. BTP carried out
66,000 Section 44 stops in 2007-08 and
we make great efforts to ensure that each
of those encounters is as positive an
experience as possible for those involved.’
3
NPTs are also having a growing impact
on route crime such as vandalism, putting
obstructions in front of trains and stonethrowing.
The vast majority of route crime is committed
by young people from the local area and
therefore is a problem that lends itself well
to local community involvement.
This year saw
a 13.6% fall in
route crime.
This year saw a 13.6% fall in route crime,
building on a 16.5% decline in 2006-07 and
9.3% in 2005-06 demonstrating clearly what
can be achieved through genuine partnership
initiatives such as the Trackoff campaign.
4
Performance in 2007-08
Common objectives, local targets
Recorded notifiable crime down 11.1% (79,191 to 70,368)
Detection rate up 2.4% (24.6% to 27.0%)
Achieved 43 out of 44 targets (98%)
Local objectives, local targets
Common objectives, common targets
Common objectives, common targets
Target
1
To conclude police activity which disrupts train movement within an average
of 90 minutes from receiving a report of a fatal incident
Outcome
Achieved
76 mins
Yes
Not published
Yes
11%
Yes
2
Carry out CBR profiling to a defined target
3
Ensure at least 8% of all officers are trained in the use of CBRN Mark 4/CR1 suits
4
Police officers deployed on visible policing duties – target hours: 45,144
123,913 hours
Yes
5
PCSOs deployed on visible policing duties – target hours: 50,616
68,675 hours
Yes
6
Increase the number of offenders detected for cable-related offences by at least 33%
90%
Yes
7
Persistent young offenders average arrest to sentence time to be no more than 65 days
89
No
8
Increase the number of football banning orders obtained to at least 42
53
Yes
9
Apply for football banning orders in at least 90% of all football-related offences
99%
Yes
10 Reduce the number of serious football-related offences by at least 5%
20%
Yes
11 At least 80% overall victim satisfaction
80%
Yes
12 At least 22% of all notifiable offenders brought to justice in England and Wales
26%
Yes
13 The number of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) officers to be at least 6.4% of total police officer strength
6.1%
No
14 The number of female officers to be at least 17.5% of total police officer strength
16.1%
No
15 At least 5.9% of police officers promoted to be from a BME background
5.5%
No
16 At least 18% of police officers promoted to be female
27.4%
Yes
Non-operational objectives
Crime on
Britain’s railways
Overall, criminal offences on Britain’s railways
fell by 12.3% from 124,900 in 2006-07 to 109,508
in 2007-08, with notifiable crime down 11.1%
and non-notifiable crime down 14.4%.
Crime fell in almost all main categories (see
table on page 7) with an increase in drugs
offences and a small increase in public disorder
offences. These are largely due to proactive
knife crime operations, where drugs dogs are
frequently used, initiatives targeting anti-social
behaviour hotspots and increased operations
around travelling football fans.
Importantly there were some significant
reductions in violent crime (11.3%) and in
particular in staff assaults (14.2%). Tackling
5
robbery was a particular success, with a 46.4%
reduction. Robbery remains a predominantly
London problem with 84% of all robberies
reported in BTP’s three London Areas.
Success in tackling robberies has been due
to more effective intelligence-led policing and a
strong partnership with local police and operators.
The introduction of Neighbourhood Policing
Teams and proactive operations around the
knife carrying culture amongst some groups
of young people have also played their part.
Operation Shield uses mobile metal detection
technology and has been deployed at dozens
of stations across the network. These initiatives,
often involving the use of drugs sniffer dogs,
together with increased operations around
anti-social behaviour hotspots and travelling
football fans, have brought with them substantial
increases in reported drugs offences, up 38.5%
this year. Drug offences are almost entirely
identified on arrest, and this apparent increase
in drug crime reflects our enhanced policing
effort in this area.
6
An important deterrent to crime in all categories
is the increased likelihood of being caught.
Detecting crime is a key police function, and
BTP equips all frontline officers to undertake
investigative roles, as well as having specialist
detective officers to take over the investigation
of more serious crime. Over the last year,
additional emphasis has been put on forensic
awareness and better exploitation of forensic
opportunities as an aid to crime detection.
The detection rate for all offences (notifiable
and non-notifiable) was 35.3% compared
to 31.9% last year. Of the 70,368 notifiable
crimes reported to BTP in 2007-08, 18,999
were detected, a detection rate of 27%
compared to 25% in 2006-07.
A more detailed breakdown of crime and
detections can be found in the Statistical
Bulletin 2007-08 available at
www.btp.police.uk
It is pleasing to see this increased focus on
detections showing through in BTP’s results.
Force totals notifiable crime
2007-08
2006-07
No. +/-
% +/-
All crime
70,368
79,191
-8,823
-11.1
9,228
10,405
-1,177
-11.3
960
1,138
-178
-15.6
Criminal damage
7,854
10,167
-2,313
-22.8
Line of route offences
2,404
2,784
-380
-13.6
Theft of passenger property
19,426
22,529
-3,103
-13.8
Motor vehicle/cycle offences
9,822
11,409
-1,587
-13.9
Robbery
1,062
1,980
-918
-46.4
Theft of railway property
6,778
6,811
-33
-0.5
Public disorder offences
6,813
6,689
+124
+1.9
Fraud offences
1,146
1,251
-105
-8.4
Drugs
4,071
2,939
+1,132
+38.5
804
1,089
-285
-26.2
Violent crime
Sexual offences
Other crimes
Olympics planning is under way
The 2012 London Olympic
and Paralympic Games are
a challenge and a great
opportunity for Britain. BTP
will be playing its full part in
ensuring that visitors, athletes
and officials will be able to
access the games easily
and securely.
7
A team has been put in place to plan operations
and liaise with the Government, the London
Organising Committee of the Olympic Games,
the Olympic Delivery Authority, transport providers
and the Home Office forces involved. To head
up BTP’s Olympic campaign Assistant Chief
Constable Stephen Thomas joined BTP in July
2007 from Greater Manchester Police, where
he was responsible for Specialist Operations. In
recognition of BTP's national role and expertise,
Mr Thomas has also been appointed as the
national lead for the coordination of Olympic
transport security planning for aviation,
maritime and the roads.
8
Until 2004, BTP had no Police
Community Support Officers
(PCSOs). Today there are
259 making a significant
contribution to police visibility
and passenger and staff safety
on stations and trains.
BTP has given its PCSOs the full range of
powers allowed by the Home Office to fulfil
the role. In addition, our PCSOs have more
powers under railway bye-laws, including
the ability to eject people from stations if
necessary. Feedback from rail industry
partners has acknowledged the positive
impact they have had.
This year a series of four briefings was held
for PCSOs in Cardiff, London and Manchester
to emphasise the importance of their role
within BTP, share best practice, and hear
from them about their ideas to improve
service delivery.
BTP’s patrol strategy was a particular focus
for the briefings – encouraging interaction with
staff and patrolling separately, where necessary
maintaining line of sight with colleagues.
BTP is one of only three police forces in
which PCSOs train alongside police officers
as part of the Student Officer Programme.
The programme helps to develop team spirit
between officers and PCSOs and for those
PCSOs who wish to go on to be regular
officers, saves time and training costs.
Councillor Mark Dowd (right) with Inspector Mike Wedderburn
and some of the team at Bootle Oriel Road station
Complementary
Helping BTP work smarter
policing –
extending the
police family
A modern, national police service needs good technology to
support its operations and BTP continues to work to improve
technological support.
Superintendent Dal Babu (left), former National Association of
Muslim Police President, with his successor, PC Zaheer Ahmad,
and the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown
Communities
crack crime
A solid and supportive
relationship with communities
is critical to tackling crime
and keeping the railways
safe from terrorists.
9
From a relatively low point in 2005, BTP has
made strong efforts to better engage with
communities, to explain what we do and
why, to consult and seek advice, to encourage
support for police operations and to assist us
by providing intelligence.
In its use of Section 44 powers to stop
and search, BTP is acutely aware of the
need to operate sensitively. These efforts
were recognised when the chairman of a
leading Muslim organisation, the Muslim
Safety Forum (MSF), described BTP as ‘the
best practice model,’ in its use of terrorist
powers and suggested that there had
been a ‘large cultural shift’ within BTP,
which contributed to this success.
10
Communities crack crime continued
Alan Pacey, BTP’s Assistant Chief Constable
(Operations) has noted that: ‘Every encounter
with a member of the community is an
opportunity for us, an opportunity not only to
gather valuable intelligence, but to build trust
and instil confidence in people that they can
count on us to treat everyone equally and
keep members of all communities safe.’
Helping BTP do exactly that are two independent
advisory bodies: the Independent Advisory
Network (IAN) covering London, chaired
by Carl Duncan, was set up after the 7
July attacks as a way for BTP to engage
with a wider range of communities in the
capital; the 21 strong National Independent
Advisory Group (NIAG), chaired over the last
year by Marlene West, provides similar support
across Britain.
The IAN, which marked its first anniversary
in April 2007, has also proved invaluable to
BTP with non-terrorist related crime and the
handling of fatalities.
‘I am very pleased that we have been able to
attract such a knowledgeable and experienced
group of people,’ commented the Chief
Constable, Ian Johnston. ‘BTP has made
huge strides in engaging with communities in
the past two years, but we still have work to
do. Our advisory groups will be invaluable in
BTP’s National Independent Advisory Group
“Our advisory groups will be invaluable in
providing us with the advice and assistance
that we need.”
providing us with the advice and assistance
that we need.’
BTP’s internal support groups, such as the
Support Association for Minority Ethnic Staff,
the Association of Muslim Police and LINK,
the Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Transgender
support group, also help promote important
community links. BTP was pleased to be able
to host the inaugural meeting of the National
Association of Muslim Police, whose President
is PC Zaheer Ahmed, a BTP officer.
Violence, robbery and knife crime
Reported violent crime fell last
year by over 11%. However the
railways are not immune from
the ills of society and BTP, like
other police forces, deals with
its share of violent crime,
including, for example, the
death of John Curran, who
was pushed from the
northbound Victoria Line
platform at Highbury and
Islington Tube station.
Within eight hours of this happening, the BTP
murder investigation had tracked down the
killer, who had fled the scene. Twenty year
old Mehmet Bala subsequently pleaded guilty
to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished
responsibility and was given a life sentence in
June 2007.
Tackling robbery, particularly in London where
more than four out of five robberies are
committed, has been a real success story.
Robberies across the rail system were down
over 46% in 2007-08 to 1,062, following a
10% reduction the year before. Over two years,
this meant 1,100 fewer victims of this crime.
On the London Underground and Docklands
Light Railway systems, robberies were reduced
by half to just 192 for the year. With over a
billion passenger journeys during the same
period, that is a remarkably high level of safety.
As a benchmark, the total number of robberies
of individuals reported on the streets of London
in 2007-08 was over 33,000.
heightened public awareness of the issue of
knife crime. BTP has taken a robust stance
on this issue.
In February 2006, BTP launched Operation
Shield as a pilot scheme in London using
hand held metal detectors and portable walk
through detection arches to crack down on
offensive weapons. It was then rolled out
across Britain and deployed at robbery and
violence hot spots. Many forces have since
used this tactic.
Operation Shield was deployed for the
second year running at the Notting Hill Carnival,
although in a new way, with frequent and rapid
re-deployments of police and equipment.
BTP worked closely with the Metropolitan
Police in the run up to the Carnival when a
series of arrests took place to prevent planned
gang violence. During the Carnival, BTP
recovered weapons including CS spray, knives
and imitation firearms and made nine arrests
for people in possession of offensive weapons.
The stabbing of a number of young people
in London and elsewhere during the year
11
12
Graffiti contributes to the fear
crime. It results in significant
costs in service disruption and
downtime for operators and is
often a great danger to those
involved. Over the past year,
BTP has had significant
success in tackling this crime.
Graffiti hurts
Following a long and detailed investigation by
a graffiti team in the north west, two men were
jailed for 15 months and 12 months in August
after pleading guilty to seven charges of criminal
damage at Manchester Crown Court. Both
were also served with five year Anti-Social
Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) banning them
from carrying paint on the rail system.
In Scotland, a 29 year old Manchester art
supplies salesman, was sentenced to two
months prison for graffiti offences and ordered
to pay First ScotRail £1,150 in compensation.
In London, a graffiti vandal was ordered to
pay £6,000 and serve 250 hours community
service after causing £15,000 of damage
on the rail system and a 21 year old was
sentenced to 10 months and given a five year
ASBO for spraying graffiti at Dartford station.
Graffiti can be addictive and become a lifestyle
choice, which makes for a high degree of
recidivism. In March 2008 a prolific graffiti
vandal was imprisoned for two years in London
having used the same tag for which he had
received a previous conviction. The latest
sentence was for more than £30,000 in
damage to the railways in south London
and the Home Counties.
Alcohol is a
major factor in
football disorder
The 2007-08 season proved a
difficult one to police with antisocial elements amongst fans,
fuelled by alcohol, causing the
most problems. However, whilst
the organised hooligan element
remains, their activity is now
much better controlled, with a
consequent reduction in serious
incidents from 83 last season to
63 this year.
13
Conversely, anti-social, alcohol fuelled
incidents involving groups of fans not normally
categorised as part of the “risk element” have
increased by 10% from 305 to 337.
Twenty-five police officers on football duty
suffered assaults this year, which is the highest
number ever recorded. For the eighth season
running, arrests have increased, this year up
from 567 to 601. 122 football banning orders
have been imposed with other cases still pending.
BTP’s ability to apply for banning orders in
100% of football-related offences is being
enhanced with the appointment of a full time
officer to pursue this activity, funded by the
United Kingdom Football Policing Unit
(UKFPU). Legislative changes also mean
that since April 2007, BTP has the ability to
apply for banning orders under the Football
Spectators Act 1989 against football hooligans
“on complaint” (Section 14B) – not just when
they have been convicted of a criminal offence
(Sections 14A). This is similar to giving a
troublemaker an ASBO.
Policing Plan targets of gaining an additional
42 orders, applying for post-conviction orders
in 90% of cases and reducing serious offences
by five per cent were all met.
14
Alcohol is a major factor in football
disorder continued
The 44 week football season is a major strain
on police resources and with this season
scheduled to be extended to 46 weeks, that
will increase. However, BTP does attend the
annual fixtures meeting in Preston and a
number of police concerns around the
timing of fixtures were taken on board.
The reopening of Wembley Stadium, with
the FA Cup returning to its traditional home
in May 2007, was a significant event. Chelsea
and Manchester United fans were there in
force with around 85% using the Tube system.
Harrow and Wealdstone, Stanmore and
Baker Street. Only four arrests were made
during the day.
In the same month, an equally successful
football operation was put in place for the
UEFA Cup Final at Hampden Park, Glasgow.
Sevilla and Espanyol fans were in buoyant
mood and no arrests were made amongst the
51,000 crowd. This was in sharp contrast to
Glasgow Rangers UEFA Cup visit to Manchester
a year later when rioting occurred in the city
centre near Piccadilly station. Only heroic
efforts by BTP officers prevented major
damage and injury.
More than 500 BTP officers were on duty to
meet them and make sure all ran smoothly.
A high visibility police presence was combined
with plain clothes officers at Wembley Park
station to deter anti-social behaviour, arrest
pickpockets and reassure passengers.
In December, officers were involved in the first
deployment on the new high speed Channel
Tunnel link (HS1) for a major sporting event.
Spurs UEFA Cup tie with Anderlecht saw
Belgian and BTP officers travelling together
on trains as part of international policing from
St Pancras International.
North Western Area officers travelled down
to London with Manchester United fans and
static patrols were deployed to key stations,
including Wembley Central, Wembley Stadium,
When football-related disorder does occur,
BTP is assiduous in carrying out follow up
investigations. In November 2007, a series
of football operations took place across
“Policing Plan targets of gaining an additional 42
orders, applying for post-conviction orders in 90%
of cases and reducing serious offences by five per
cent were all met”.
the country, during which 33 people were
arrested. On 8 November, a team of 150
BTP and Metropolitan Police officers arrested
14 men in dawn raids across south London,
Sussex and Kent. Two more were subsequently
arrested. This followed violent football-related
disorder at Sydenham station on 1 September.
All 16 were charged with violent disorder and
10 have so far been convicted, with others
yet to face court.
This was a particularly serious incident in
which a group of up to 40 fans boarded a
train and began a series of random attacks
on passengers, punching, hitting and using
bottles and cans as weapons. As well as
Charlton Athletic supporters travelling to
Crystal Palace, there were ordinary members
of the public on board. A 24 year old Charlton
fan suffered a broken nose and several other
passengers were head butted and punched.
The new Wembley Stadium opens for business
Alcohol is a major factor in football
disorder continued
Also on 8 November, 10 men were arrested
and charged in the North Western Area by
BTP and Merseyside Police officers following
disorder on a train between Wrexham and
Chester on 7 July. The disorder followed
the Wrexham versus Liverpool pre-season
friendly. All have been given football
banning orders.
In the North Eastern Area, a violent clash
following the Middlesbrough versus Chelsea
match on 20 October left several passengers
injured. When a group of Middlesbrough
supporters went in search of rival fans on
a York bound train between Middlesbrough
15
and Thornaby, they launched a sustained
attack on a family of four. Four men have
been charged with affray.
In the Wales and Western Area, a 24 year old
Cardiff City supporter was jailed for a year and
given a six year football banning order for affray.
Following a match, a group of about 30 Cardiff
City fans began threatening police on the
platform at Derby station. The convicted man
repeatedly punched one officer in the face then
assaulted another who came to his colleague’s
assistance. As they tried to restrain him he
continued to hit out, punch, scratch and bite.
Following another prosecution in October
2007, a 43 year old Leicester City supporter
was given a five month jail sentence and a six
year banning order for an unprovoked attack
on an elderly couple. In this case, the man had
been on a train with a mixed group of Leicester
and Sheffield Wednesday fans. They were
rowdy, shouting and singing, and, as the train
approached Kettering, the woman asked him
and his friends to mind their language. He
became aggressive and when her partner
protested he punched him in the head several
times. The woman was also assaulted as she
tried to protect her partner.
Football banning orders are an effective weapon
against hooligans and, for the first time this
year, two were imposed in Scotland. The two
St Johnstone fans have been banned from
every football ground in the country, as well
as from travelling abroad to support Scotland.
16
The introduction of
Neighbourhood Policing Teams
(NPTs) at strategic points across
the rail network is a long term
commitment to dedicated,
accessible and accountable
policing at a local level, under
a national Safer Station, Safer
Journey ambition. NPTs are now
in place in each of BTP’s seven
Areas and are having success
in reducing the fear
of crime and dealing with
local priorities.
In north London, for instance, as a result of
the work of NPTs passengers’ perceptions of
safety improved by 19%, detection rates more
than doubled and recorded crime was down
65%. A survey by First Capital Connect at
Cambridge recorded staff satisfaction up 50%.
In Peckham, the train operator Southern spent
£200,000 on staff and infrastructure in support
of their NPT. This combined operation led to
a 25% increase in revenue and a zero rate
of staff assault on a line previously avoided
by staff due to fear of assault.
In South Wales the NPT operating out of the
new police station at Pontypridd is proving a
major success with a 35% reduction in crime
in the Rhondda.
One of the first teams to be set up covers the
Birmingham Cross City Line. Celebrating their
first birthday this year, the team was able to
report crime down by over half. Operating from
Birmingham New Street north to Lichfield and
south to Redditch, members of the Cross City
Line NPT have worked hard making themselves
known and accessible to rail staff and
passengers, and have achieved dramatic
reductions in crime and disorder.
The District Line of the London Underground
rolled out a joint initiative to tackle anti-social
behaviour and fare evasion called Operation
Pipe that involved teams of police, PCSOs
and revenue staff and successfully pushed
crime down by over 30%, whilst increasing
detections and positively impacting on
perceptions of safety.
National network
of Neighbourhood
Policing Teams
National network of Neighbourhood
Policing Teams continued
London Midland Head of Crime and Security,
Sheelagh Whittaker, has seen first hand the
benefits of neighbourhood policing. ‘We
wholeheartedly support the concept of
neighbourhood policing,’ she said. ‘We believe
that local police officers serving specific local
railway lines encourages better relationships
with members of the public, railway staff and
local businesses.’
In March 2008, the Southport NPT received
a boost with the official opening of a new
BTP station at the town’s railway station. The
Managing Director of Merseyrail Electrics, Bart
Schmeink, unveiled the plaque on the new
home for the Northern Line NPT that covers
stations from Southport to Sandhills.
17
‘Our objective next year is to change
customers’ perceptions so that they realize
using the trains is the safest way to travel in
and out of Liverpool city centre,’ commented
Mr Schmeink.
The Southport NPT was set up in October
2006. Between 2006 and 2007 there was
a 27% reduction in recorded crime.
Similarly, in Manchester, crimes recorded at
the five stations in the city centre before the
launch of the dedicated NPT numbered 1,418
in 2006. In 2007 that had fallen to 1,161, an
18% reduction.
policing right and effectively engaging with
communities, we can also help solve the
problems at the top end of police priorities,
such as terrorism,’ Chief Inspector Randy
Otter from the Force’s Operations Department
told the PCs and PCSOs attending.
Neighbourhood policing is not a quick
fix and the teams have to work hard to
establish themselves and open up the
communications channels that will
generate confidence within communities.
To support our new teams a neighbourhood
policing practitioners’ workshop was held in
Wakefield in September to share best practice
on what NPTs can do to deal with low level
crime and disorder. ‘By getting neighbourhood
18
Where are the Neighbourhood
Policing Teams?
Area
Scotland
North Western
North Eastern
Wales & Western
London North
London South
London Underground/DLR
Glasgow
Glasgow Subway
Edinburgh
Manchester
Southport
Leeds (covering West Yorkshire)
Birmingham Cross City Line
Pontypridd
Euston
King’s Cross
Liverpool Street
Paddington
St Pancras International
Clapham
Lewisham
London Bridge
Victoria
Waterloo
30 Neighbourhood Policing Teams
are active across the Area
Putting more into
frontline policing
Increased investment in
BTP has yielded dividends
in performance and service
to the railway industry and
its passengers. Much of that
increase was to address
historical under investment
and bring BTP, its infrastructure
and resource base up to an
appropriate level.
19
With budget increases for the next three
years set to be broadly in line with the retail
price index, BTP is reviewing how it does
business to release more resources for
frontline policing in order to continue to
deliver performance improvements.
Already, by identifying internal efficiencies, three
additional NPTs have been put in place, one in
the North East, one in Birmingham and one in
south London.
The Frontlinefirst Programme aims to find
more efficient ways of using staff, to free
more resources for the frontline, in particular
to support delivery of additional NPTs. It will
generate two per cent savings this year and
for the next two years, totalling around £11
million to reinvest in this way.
20
BTP takes
the lead on
metal theft
Seventy per cent of cable crime on the rail
system last year was committed by offenders
travelling under five miles from their homes.
Predominantly, these are low level offenders
who may have turned to metal theft as an
alternative to burglary or car crime and are
often what are termed prolific offenders.
However, there is also evidence of organised
crime group involvement in thefts and work
is continuing on this aspect of the crime.
Operation Drum, BTP’s response to cable theft,
is multi-stranded including overt, covert and
intelligence-led operations. The operation is
supported by dedicated teams of officers both
Having reported last year a large
rise in cable theft on the rail
system, making it an unexpected
additional priority, this year BTP
has taken the lead on combating
theft on Britain’s railways and
pushing the issue of metal theft
up the police agenda nationally.
PCs Russell Lane (left) and Roy McMichael (right)
inspect a scrap metal dealer in Warwickshire
in London and the north east. One important
area of activity has been in controlling the demand
side of the equation by working with the metal
recycling industry and targeting scrap dealers
with education and enforcement action.
BTP’s persistence in this emerging area
of crime led the Association of Chief Police
Officers (ACPO) in England and Wales to
ask BTP to chair its Conductive Metal Thefts
Working Group, which this year produced
a National Problem Profile (NPP) and a best
practice guide to help police forces across
the country deal with the problem.
“In total 113 people were arrested
across Europe with 63,000kgs of
stolen copper… recovered”
BTP takes the lead on metal
theft continued
One of the initiatives coming out of the NPP,
mirroring BTP’s successful structure and
tactics, was a proposal to establish a national
metal taskforce, based around four regional
teams, managed and tasked by a dedicated
command team, and supported by its own
intelligence resources.
Metal theft is a problem on an international
scale. In July 2007, BTP joined rail police
from several European countries, including
Spain, Germany, Italy and France, to target
theft of metals. The European Day of Action
came about following a meeting in Venice
in May involving European rail police chiefs.
ACPO also held its first conference on metal
theft in London in March 2008 following a
tripling of this crime nationally. One of the key
aims of the conference was to raise the profile
of the metal theft problem, the scale of which
was not fully recognized by most forces.
In total 113 people were arrested across
Europe with 63,000kgs of stolen copper,
worth 205,000 Euros (£144,000), recovered
and more than 2,500 depots checked. Out
of that BTP made 11 arrests and recovered
25,000kgs of cable. Visits were made to 55
scrap dealers and 50 vehicles were stopped
in Automatic Number Plate Recognition
(ANPR) operations.
The conference was hosted by BT at its
London HQ and led by BTP. It included
representatives from police forces, utilities
and telecommunications providers, as well
as the metal recycling industry.
At the end of January 2008, BTP led a national
Day of Action in Britain to target metal thieves
who steal everything from manhole covers to
bus shelters. This involved working alongside
20 Home Office police forces, government
21
agencies and partners including the
Vehicle and Operator Services Agency,
the Environment Agency, local councils,
the Department of Work and Pensions,
HM Revenue and Customs, the Border
and Immigration Agency and SmartWater.
BTP officers made visits to 65 scrap metal
yards and arrested 11 people. Four immediate
detections were made and there were two
seizures of metal. ANPR operations came up
with 163 positive hits and 11 vehicles were
seized. Sixty-six penalty notices were issued
and crime reduction officers carried out 15
surveys. Nine of the 11 vehicles seizures came
from an ANPR operation near Tilbury Docks.
22
Maintaining standards
without bureaucracy
During the year, BTP has been
preparing for the implementation
of recommendations made in
the Taylor Report due to come
into force in November 2008.
The Taylor reforms introduce a code of ethics,
a new system for dealing with misconduct and
a revised process for dealing with unsatisfactory
police performance. This means that disciplinary
procedures will become less lengthy and more
focused on learning and improvement.
A training programme has been developed
to support the introduction of a fundamental
cultural change in complaints handling which
seeks quick resolution of issues at the lowest
possible level.
Rail minister, Tom Harris MP with the Chief Constable, Ian Johnston,
in Glasgow seeing how BTP’s counter terrorism operations work
Terrorism remains
a daily threat
Although it is now three years
since the horrific events of
7 July 2005, Britain still lives
with the daily threat of a
terrorist attack.
The threat level remained “Severe” for most
of the year, but for five days in June and July,
the Joint Terrorism and Analysis Centre raised
the threat level to “Critical” following the
discovery of two potentially viable car bombs
in London on 29 June, and a burning car being
driven into the terminal at Glasgow Airport the
following day.
As a result, BTP officers stepped up patrols,
increased stops and searches and began
vehicle checks at stations.This reassurance
exercise targeted key mainline stations,
interchange stations at airports and some train
services, and also included vehicle checks on
approach roads to stations and briefing of rail
23
staff to encourage extra vigilance and reporting
of suspicious activity.
Following the summer alert, Transport Minister
Tom Harris said: ‘BTP plays a key role in
protecting the rail and light rail networks from
terrorism and I was pleased and impressed
to see the commitment shown in the days
following the attacks when you responded
to the critical threat level with a highly
professional response across the country.
The sight of so many of you in and around
stations provided both the security and the
sense of public reassurance required during
that challenging time.’
“I was pleased and
impressed to see the
commitment shown in the
days following the attacks.”
Transport Minister Tom Harris
Vehicle checks at London Waterloo in July 2007 were
a response to the heightened threat level from terrorism
25
Terrorism remains a daily threat continued
To promote understanding both internally
and externally of BTP’s use of stop and search,
BTP produced a DVD that gives a detailed
explanation of how and why stops are carried
out, and the various powers used to conduct
them. It recognizes that stops can be an
unwelcome intrusion into people’s lives and
aims to promote community confidence and
trust showing people what to expect if they
are stopped. The second part of the DVD
project involved enhanced training and
briefing for officers.
The launch of the DVD was accompanied by a
nationwide briefing programme for officers and
supervisors to ensure they fully understand the
need to make encounters a positive experience
for people, and that the powers are a tool to
serve the community, not alienate them.
The business community has an important
role to play in dealing with today’s terrorist
threat. During the year, BTP has been helping
the rail business community to help themselves
through joint work on business continuity and
preparedness.
Three seminars were held in Glasgow, at
Paddington and Euston, aimed primarily at
small and medium sized businesses. Larger
businesses usually have business continuity
and contingency plans in place but smaller
businesses operating on and around stations
could find themselves quickly out of business
if they and their staff are caught up in a
terrorist attack.
The seminars, part of Project Argus set up
by the National Counter Terrorism Security
Office, help businesses plan what they would
do in the event of an attack.
Bomb threats have the potential to cause
serious disruption. BTP can claim considerable
success in managing this aspect of terrorism
having put in place a centralized national
system in the 1990s. Since then threats to
over 10,000 locations have been received.
Of those, fewer than 70 precipitated station
closures, and of these incidents over 50%
were associated with a positive event – the
discovery of an explosive device or a
subsequent explosion.
In January 2008, a bomb hoaxer who tried
unsuccessfully to close down London mainline
stations was jailed for two years and nine
months. Sentencing the 51 year old man at
Southwark Crown Court for making 11 hoax
calls, Judge Deborah Taylor said that because
of the nature of his crimes, she was passing
a deterrent sentence. ‘These calls no doubt
caused distress and fear to passengers... it
was only due to the professionalism of police
and station staff that disruption was minimised,’
she said.
Route crime success continues
Pupils get a lineside experience of a speeding train at
Lichfield in September
Results in reducing route crime,
which includes dangerous
offences such as stonethrowing
and obstructing trains, continue
to improve. Through the
partnership strategy that
includes education and
enforcement, offences were
reduced by 13.6% in 2007-08
and by more than 50% over
five years.
26
In September, Network Rail’s Trent Valley Four
Tracking Project working with the Birmingham
Neighbourhood Policing Team, gave Year 6
pupils from St Vincent’s RC Primary School
in Nechells a lineside view of modern high
speed trains to help bring home the safety
message. Kitted out in high visibility jackets,
ear protectors and hard hats, the children
were taken to a “green zone” near a blind
corner on the Lichfield line to experience at
close quarters the train speed past at 125mph.
Network Rail’s helicopter has been an
invaluable tool in route crime operations.
Patrols were initiated in Greater Manchester
in the autumn after several serious incidents,
including one on 11 August when a Northern
Rail driver was showered with glass after
vandals threw a large stone, smashing his
window. Nine days later, a 64 year old woman
sustained a severe cut above her right eye
after a stone smashed through a train window
in Stockport, and the following day a driver
suffered a broken collarbone when a brick
smashed through his windscreen in Beswick.
As an example of the value of the helicopter
in Greater Manchester, a BTP air observer
working with Network Rail helped arrest five
youths during an operation to crack down
on rail vandals. The helicopter took off in the
27
Route crime threat continues continued
morning from Barton to patrol over Salford,
Manchester, Rochdale, Oldham and Wigan
with air observer PC Tony Banks directing
colleagues on the ground. Shortly after 1pm,
youths were reported on the line in Oldham.
The helicopter was quickly dispatched and
able to direct officers who detained three 12
year old girls and an 11 and 12 year old boy
in the Shaw area.
Successful police investigations also play a
major role in tackling these dangerous crimes.
Following an attack on a passenger train near
Kidderminster in December 2006, two men
were imprisoned in December 2007 for
endangering safety.
Nineteen year old Kevin Clee was jailed for
six years whilst his 17 year old accomplice
was given seven and a half years after they
seriously injured a train driver throwing a 45lb
piece of masonry from a bridge into the train’s
path. The masonry bounced off the roof of
one train and into the path of the freight train.
It smashed through his cab window, striking the
driver in the face and leaving him unconscious
with serious facial injuries.
A major investigation and hundreds of
interviews led to the offenders being identified
and convicted.
The industry route crime strategy – the four “E’s”
Enabling
Education
Engineering
Enforcement
having the organisation, finance and planning in place to make it happen
of children, opinion formers and the industry itself
solutions looking at crime prevention, boundaries, surveillance and more
led by BTP, enlisting support from the CPS, judiciary and local forces, and
the use of Crimestoppers
Helping BTP
work smarter
A modern, national police
service needs good technology
to support its operations and
BTP continues to work to
improve technological support.
With a small full time team, BTP’s technology
department maintains nationwide voice and
data communications networks, provides and
supports a wide range of hardware and
software, and has taken a lead in several areas
of new police operational technology, including
mobile computing (Personal Digital Assistants
or PDAs) which gives officers remote access to
Command and Control, the Force Intelligence
System and many other information services.
A £2 million bid was made to the Home Office
to fund a further 800 PDAs and printers for
frontline officers. Approval was announced in
May 2008, bringing the total number of PDAs
in use by BTP officers to 1,350.
computing that looks set to confirm BTP’s own
evaluation, which has shown an average gain
of 51 minutes visibility per officer per shift.
October marked an important date in the
history of BTP with, for the first time, all crimes
reported on the rail system in England, Wales
and Scotland recorded at a single national
centre, the Crime Recording Centre in Cardiff.
The centre provides a 365 day a year, 24
hour service across Britain at less cost and
with a more comprehensive service than was
previously the case. Officers can report details
by phone direct to the centre, without the need
to return to police stations to type reports.
The National Policing Improvement Agency
is producing a benefits report on mobile
28
29
Frontline rail staff are the public
face of the railways and when
problems occur they can often
unfairly bear the brunt of
passenger frustration. BTP
takes seriously the responsibility
of ensuring that all rail staff are
able to work without fear of
assault or intimidation. This
is a high priority in our annual
Policing Plan.
Protecting
staff
In London, Operation Lockstock 2, ran
from November 2007 to early January 2008
targeting assaults on staff within the London
boroughs. This operation is run in partnership
with the London Criminal Justice Board and
the Crown Prosecution Service. It was
underpinned by a continuing Memorandum
of Understanding between the CPS and BTP
ensuring that assaults on staff are robustly
dealt with.
During Lockstock 2 recorded crime fell across
each of the three London Areas by an average
of 23% and detections increased by five
percentage points. For 2007-08 as a whole,
assaults were down 21% and detections
increased by four points.
“Nationally, staff assaults
were down 14.2% from
3,026 to 2,595 and the
detection rate increased
by one percentage point
to 52%.”
Opening up the
international
neighbourhood
London North NPTs on the
new Channel Tunnel Rail Link
became operational before the
opening of the high speed line
(HS1) in December.
30
Currently 75 police officers and Police
Community Support Officers (PCSOs)
are operating 24 hours a day on a five shift
pattern. That will rise to 100 when Stratford
International opens in 2009.
Our HS1 teams have their own dedicated
intelligence cell based at Ebbsfleet, as well
as Special Branch and CID support. They
have established strong links with the Border
and Immigration Agency, Revenue and
Customs, the Serious Organised Crime
Agency, the UK Human Trafficking Centre
and French and Belgian police authorities.
31
Following a successful pilot
scheme in early 2007, BTP
officers now have a permanent
presence on the Glasgow
Subway system. During the
year, Strathclyde Partnership
for Transport (SPT) reached
agreement with BTP on a
permanent four year contract.
Glasgow Subway
The daily presence of BTP officers has offered
public reassurance for all Subway users and
their arrival was warmly welcomed by
passengers and staff alike.
‘Their community-based, proactive
approach has proved most beneficial,
offering reassurance to the travelling public
and Subway staff,’ said Donnie MacLeod,
SPT's Head of Security.
During BTP's first full year of operation, 81
crimes were recorded on the Subway and
43 (53%) were detected.
Employees
BTP has
Police officers
Special constables
PCSOs
Police staff (incl. PCSOs)
2,835
249
259
1,455
173 or 6.1% of police officers and 259 or 21.7% of police
staff/PCSOs are from visible ethnic minorities
457 or 16.1% of police officers and 759 or 52.2% of police
staff/PCSOs are women
32
33
The British Transport Police Authority has
agreed an overground policing budget for
2008-09 of £194.6m. This represents a 4.1%
increase in the overground budget compared
to last year and reflects the retail price index.
The scope for growth and further modernisation
in 2008-09 is therefore limited to the amount
that can be funded from efficiency savings.
The London Underground/DLR budget
funded by Transport for London for 2008-09
is £50.3m. This represents a 2.4% or £1.2m
inflationary increase.
Budget
A view from the Police Authority
2007-08 saw successful delivery
of the final elements of the
British Transport Police
Authority’s first three-year
Strategic Plan. Our 2005-08
plan sought to deliver significant
improvements across all areas
of the Force’s business,
and with the support of our
funders, we believe this has
now been achieved.
34
BTP has completed the work required
to address the legacy issues identified in
previous reviews of the Force and this period
of increased investment has now provided the
organisation with a sound basis for meeting
the challenges it faces going forward.
As well as delivering organisational benefits,
the increased investment from our PSA
holders has enabled BTP to deliver some
significant improvements in its delivery of
frontline policing services.
of policing services. We intend to exploit
opportunities for improvement in all areas
of the Force’s business, for example through
the use of new mobile technologies and
introducing more NPTs across the rail network.
Together with BTP we have set out our ambitions
for the current year in a range of national and
local targets in the 2008-09 Policing Plan.
Funding for the BTP remains largely derived
from the railway industry through applying
policing charges to each train operating
company. After a period of substantial
In spring 2007, Authority members began work investment in the infrastructure of BTP, the
on developing the 2008-11 Strategic Plan and, Authority has delivered on its commitment
in partnership with the Force, carried out an
to link charges to PSA holders to the retail
extended period of engagement with a range
price index over the currency of the 2008-11
of stakeholders to identify the current priorities Strategic Plan.
for the railway community. Underpinning the new
plan is the need to build on the achievements
realised over the past three years and to
continue to work with our partners to improve
further both the efficiency and effectiveness
35
British Transport Police and the British
Transport Police Authority welcome feedback.
To contact the British Transport Police
Authority, write to:
For additional information or to send us a
comment please visit: www.btp.police.uk
Richard Hemmings
British Transport Police Authority
The Forum
5th Floor North
74-80 Camden Street
London
NW1 0EG
or write to:
Media and Marketing
British Transport Police
25 Camden Road
London NW1 9LN
e-mail:
[email protected]
Have your say
To contact British Transport Police:
0800 40 50 40
In an emergency dial 999
© 2008 British Transport Police
www.btp.police.uk

2007-08 - British Transport Police

Transcription

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