Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of planned cuts to British Transport Police (a) staffing and (b) stations due to the 2025/26 funding shortfall on the level of (i) passenger and (ii) staff safety and security.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA). It is the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the Force and is their employer. BTPA sets the BTP’s budget annually following proposals from the Force and views from industry. BTP work closely with BTPA and industry operators to make final resourcing decisions with their agreed budget.
For the FY25/26, a budget increase of 5.9% was agreed. The BTPA will set the Force’s budget for 2026/27 this month. BTP’s budget has increased by £87million since 2021/22.
Like other police forces the BTP have operational independence, so the BTP Chief Constable and Chief Officers use a variety of data to inform the deployment of officers and other resources, following the agreement of the budget. Decision over staffing and stations resourcing are reviewed regularly by the BTP under their optimal policing model.
The Department is committed to working with the BTP and rail industry to ensure the railway remains safe for passengers and staff, thanks to the efforts of officers and rail staff working tirelessly across the network.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the funding uplift necessary to restore the number of British Transport Police police officers to 2009/10 levels.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA). It is the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the Force and is their employer. BTPA sets the BTP’s budget annually following proposals from the Force and views from industry. BTP work closely with BTPA and industry operators to make final resourcing decisions with their agreed budget.
For the FY25/26, a budget increase of 5.9% was agreed. The British Transport Police Authority will set the Force’s budget for 2026/27 this month.
Like other police forces the BTP has operational independence, so it is for the BTP Chief Constable and Chief Officers to use a variety of data to inform the deployment of officers and other resources, following the agreement of the budget.
The Department has no role in determining the optimal numbers of BTP officers to meet their strategic plans as agreed with the BTPA.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of (a) spending by the rail industry on private security and (b) her Department's funding for the British Transport Police.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department is committed to working with the rail industry as we move towards the creation of Great British Railways to ensure that security provision on the network keeps staff and passengers safe. The Department are currently undertaking analysis of private security spend by the 14 train operating companies that have been or are due to be nationalised.
The British Transport Police (BTP) budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA). BTP's costs are passed on to individual Train Operating Companies and Network Rail. BTPA sets the BTP’s budget annually following proposals from the Force and views from industry. BTP work closely with BTPA and industry operators to make final resourcing decisions with their agreed budget.
In the year 2025/26 BTP received a 5.9% budget increase. The budget for 2026/27 will be set by the BTPA imminently following engagement with the rail industry. Like other police forces the BTP has operational independence, so the BTP Chief Constable and Chief Officers use a variety of data to inform the deployment of officers and other resources, following the agreement of the budget.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of legal protections against assaults at work for public transport workers.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There is no place for abuse or assault of any worker. Public transport workers and the wider public should be assured that where offenders commit acts of violence they will be arrested and brought before the courts. The British Transport Police have a specific remit to protect all rail staff and passengers.
Public transport workers do of course already have extensive protection in existing legislation such as the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 which also covers more serious violence such as actual bodily harm (ABH) and grievous bodily harm (GBH), and courts must already consider offences against public facing workers as an aggravating factor under the Police Crime and Sentencing Act 2022. We therefore do not believe that any further legal protections are necessary or would reduce assaults.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of a standalone offence of assaulting a public transport worker.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There is no place for abuse or assault of any worker. Public transport workers and the wider public should be assured that where offenders commit acts of violence they will be arrested and brought before the courts. The British Transport Police have a specific remit to protect all rail staff and passengers.
Public transport workers do of course already have extensive protection in existing legislation such as the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 which also covers more serious violence such as actual bodily harm (ABH) and grievous bodily harm (GBH), and courts must already consider offences against public facing workers as an aggravating factor under the Police Crime and Sentencing Act 2022. We therefore do not believe that creating a specific offence would have the intended purpose of reducing assaults.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussion her Department is having with relevant stakeholders to help tackle harassment against women and girls on trains in the North East.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Everyone should be able to use the rail network without fearing for their safety. As part of the Government’s Safer Streets mission, we have a commitment to reduce violence against women and girls (VAWG) by half over the next decade. The Department is committed to working with the rail industry and the British Transport Police (BTP) to ensure this is the case.
Last month, the Department and Greater Manchester Combined Authority jointly hosted a Safer Streets, Safer Transport Summit which brought together representatives from across the transport industry, Government, local authorities (including the North East Combined Authority), the third sector and policing to commit to taking action against anti-social behaviour (ASB) and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).
BTP officers in the North East attend the local Safer Transport Regional Group and the Violence Against Women and Girls on Transport Partnership Working Group, strengthening collaboration with partners and focusing joint efforts on preventing these offences.
BTP deliver numerous public campaigns to increase VAWG reporting across the network including in the North East. The Rail Delivery Group also delivers its ‘zero tolerance’ campaign, which is aimed at educating people about the different types of sexual harassment and encouraging reporting to the BTP or anonymously to crime stoppers.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance has she given to the British Transport Police Authority on British Transport Police funding in the 2026-27 financial year.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not determine the budget for the British Transport Police. The British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set independently of the Department by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA), following proposals from the Force and views from the industry.
Earlier this year, the Rail Minister convened two high-level roundtable meetings with senior rail industry stakeholders to ensure that funding decisions are informed by a broad range of perspectives. The BTPA has since formalised its industry engagement by creating a strategic forum bringing together representatives from BTP, BTPA, the Department for Transport and the key BTP funders. This provides a platform for constructive dialogue on balancing funding with service expectations, ensuring decisions reflect shared priorities and deliver value for passengers and taxpayers.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether officers of the British Transport Police are permitted to take industrial action.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
In line with all other police forces, it is unlawful for British Transport Police (BTP) officers to take strike action, as per Section 280 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (consolidation) Act 1992.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many reports of (a) antisocial behaviour towards, (b) sexual harassment of, (c) sexual assault of and (d) physical assault of train staff were made in each of the past three years.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The British Transport Police are responsible for policing the railway in England, Scotland and Wales and have provided the following figures.
Offence/Incident Type | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
Antisocial Behaviour | Not available as a breakdown for incidents against rail staff | ||
Unwanted Sexual Behaviour | Not available | 71 | 83 |
Sex offences | 95 | 111 | 121 |
Violence | 2761 | 3415 | 3727 |
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of rail freight crime; and what steps her department is taking to reduce those levels.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The British Transport Police (BTP) are responsible for policing the rail network in England, Scotland and Wales.
The BTP work proactively with Freight Operating Companies (FOCs) to identify trends, advise on crime prevention and work to identify and arrest any offenders when crime is reported. BTP hold a 4-weekly Freight Working Group which is open to all freight operators.
For 2025/26 year to date, BTP recorded 48 crimes across all FOCs, the majority of which relate to graffiti.