The m
agazine of British T
ransport Police
Lining up on the TubeReorganisation means a single point of contact for each Tube line page 4
Tackling graffitiLondon South’s dedicated graffiti squad is cleaning up the south east page 9
Issue 14 April 2011
Follow us on Twitter BTP now has a Twitter account, @btp_uk, offering a new way to engage with stakeholders and communities.
The first BTP “Tweet”, after the initial “hello”, highlighted CBBC’s ‘Cop School’ programme on 28 March in which we featured. “We’ve had a sneak peek and it looks great!” it said.
Cable arrests follow leaflet campaignThree people have been arrested
for cable theft as a result of a targeted leafleting campaign by the North Eastern Area.
Over 250,000 residents in cable hotspot areas in Middlesbrough, South Yorkshire, Wakefield and Hull received the leaflet, which led to a tip-off after residents saw cable being stripped.
The leaflets raise awareness of the effect of theft on communities, warn of dangers and likely punishments and encourage reports to the police.
Policing by the plan April is the start of our new performance year which means we at BTP are all working to a new policing plan (see page 3).
The targets in the 2011/12 plan are focussed on areas that stakeholders have told us are most
critical to them and those include route crime, which this issue of The Line highlights.
In the plan, route crime is included under the heading of ‘Helping to keep the railway running’, because it causes considerable disruption to the network, as well as costing the industry millions of pounds a year.
However, we could equally have included it in the ‘Helping to make the railway safer’ category, because route crime causes death and injury. It’s bad enough when someone is hurt on our railway, but when it is a child whose future is blighted, or even ended, by a stupid prank or a moment’s lack of judgement, it is tragic.
Together we have had tremendous success in reducing route crime – the cross-industry partnership around this issue is a real example of best practice for multi-agency co-operation. But at this time of year, when the lighter evenings mean that trespassers, stonethrowers and vandals are more likely to be abroad, we have to be even more vigilant.
The considerable industry effort and resource being put into educational initiatives will, we hope, lead to further reductions in this sort of crime over the longer term. In the short term, over Easter and beyond into the summer holidays, BTP officers from neighbourhood policing and core teams will be targeting their hotspots to keep their local communities safe.
Further targets within the 2011/12 policing plan are grouped in the category of ‘Promoting confidence in the use of the railway’ – we could have included route crime in there as well.
In the end, almost everything we do contributes towards promoting confidence. In the case of route crime, if people’s trains are not crawling through the countryside on caution because of trespass reports, covered in graffiti or cancelled because of vandalism, they will be much happier. And a happy customer is also a confident customer.
theLine
editorial in this issue
For circulation/subscription enquiries contact:
Media and MarketingBritish Transport PoliceForce Headquarters, 25 Camden Road London, NW1 9LN
Editor Simon LubinEmail [email protected] 020 7830 8854
www.btp.police.uk
Lighter evenings encourage route crime
Big improvements in witness care
Policing Plan 2011/12
news in brief
page 10
page 6
page 3
Chief Constable Andy Trotter
BTP’s 2011/12 annual policing plan aims to “sustain our record of consistentimprovement,” says Millie Banerjee, Chair of the British Transport Police Authority in her foreword.
This year’s plan, the first step in a new three year strategy, contains 11 national targets grouped under four strategic objectives:•Helping to keep the railway
running•Helping to make the railway
safer•Providing value for money
through continuous improvement
•Promoting confidence in the use of the railway
Acknowledging the financial squeeze following a 3.3 per cent real terms cut in the Force budget, Ms Banerjee says: “This will require an imaginative response from BTP. It will have to find ways of being more efficient without taking away from its effectiveness.”
Describing the financial context as “challenging”, the Chief Constable, Andy Trotter, says that the achievement of the policing plan targets “will be evidence of a significant increase in efficiency and value for money.
“Each of our policing Areas has also set local targets in support of these national priorities, which have been carefully crafted in consultation with local stakeholders.”
sustaining improvement in 2011/12
Helping to keep the
railway running•Reducedisruption-relatedoffences
•Clearallnon-suspiciousfatalities
withinanaverageof90minutes
Helping to make the railway safer•Reducethenumberofcrimes
•Reducestaffassaults
•Maintainorincreasethedetection
rateforseriousviolent,sexualand
robberyoffences
Promoting confidence in the use of the railway•Reducethenumberofanti-socialbehaviourincidents•IncreasetheproportionofresourcesdevotedtoNeighbourhoodPolicingTeams(NPT)andresponsepolicingbetween8pmand1am•Respondtoatleast80percentof‘immediate’incidentswithin20minutes
Providing value
for money through
continuous improvement
•Reducethenumberofofficersin
organisationalsupportrolesatForce
Headquartersbyatleast10percent
•Reduceexpenditureonnon-staffcosts
asaproportionofstaffcostsbyatleast
1.5percentagepoints
•Averagesicknessdaysperemployeeto
belessthan7.7days
Summary of national policing plan targets 2011/12:
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The new police station on station approach, outside the station’s main entrance, operates 24 hours a day. It is home to 53 officers, including the local Neighbourhood Policing Team and CID, and replaces out-dated facilities inside the station.
Partners from the rail industry joined senior officers at the beginning of March to celebrate the official opening by British Transport Police Chief Constable Andy Trotter.
“The new station at Leeds will provide our officers and customers with a first class facility that will enable us to provide a better service to the travelling public and our partners in the rail industry,” said North Eastern Area Commander Terry Nicholson.
“This is the first time we have all Leeds-based teams as a central hub under one roof.”
The new station boasts modern facilities including an ABE (Achieving Best Evidence) suite, a specialist suite for interviewing vulnerable victims, as well as a reception and counter service for members of the public, briefing and conference rooms and plenty of space for all the teams of officers working there.
Research showed that managers had no clear idea of who their contact was in BTP – now they have one top-level port of call.
“LU/DLR staff think in terms of lines and line groups – as do passengers – so this is a logical step for us,” said Area Commander Chief Superintendent Mark Newton.
“As well as a chief inspector in charge of a group of lines, an inspector will take charge of each individual line – responsible for policing the stations along that line.
“The inspectors work closely with the Line General Managers, who operate the day-to-day running of their line, meaning a
much closer and more efficient working relationship between BTP and our stakeholders.”
The realignment of BTP’s London Underground/DLR Area to mirror the industry structure has been brought in alongside new Proactive Patrol Teams – specialist officers patrolling trains to deter and deal with crime.
“LU staff want to know who is covering their patch and line-based policing will develop that with Neighbourhood Policing Teams allocated to sections of an individual line based on the existing LU/DLR structure,” said Chief Superintendent Newton. Response teams have also been reorganised – there are now five 24/7 response teams across the Area.
beTTer fACiLiTies TO iMPrOve PerfOrMAnCe in Leeds
single point of contact for tube managers
After three years as Head of Community Safety it is easy to see where the big challenges lie and what strides have been made within the industry in recent times to engage with external partners to improve safety and performance on the railway.
Railway safety issues are more often than not simply an extension of other social issues. Vandals don’t just vandalise railway infrastructure and property, just as road vehicle drivers who speed through red lights at level crossings may well exhibit the same irresponsible behaviours at other road junctions.
One of the major steps forward has been for the industry to recognise community safety as relevant and the value of looking beyond the boundary fence to address problems.
Traditionally the approach was more railway-centric. A meeting to discuss cable theft or suicide would have representatives from the whole railway world in attendance, often looking at engineering solutions and setting up more industry sub-groups.
Partnerships with The Samaritans and British Telecom are examples of how this is changing and how the experiences and resources of other organisations can be used to solve ‘railway’ issues.
Suicide and cable theft are
two of the most pernicious events as far as railway operations and impact on the business are concerned. When multiplied by frequency, these become two of the most significant challenges for us to resolve – and both are symptoms of community or social issues that begin and must be tackled in the community.
Network Rail initiatives to address issues such as these now draw in that external expertise and credibility. The Samaritans initiative to reduce the business impact of suicide has a major outreach element to it. We work with the NHS, the charitable and voluntary sectors, the police and local communities, to try and reduce the numbers of incidents and to offer that vital support service.
This is combined with a large communications programme and training for industry staff to give them the skills to be confident about dealing with vulnerable people.
Cable theft is a huge challenge and working with British Telecom is a great opportunity to tackle an issue that affects many corporate bodies and local authorities. This is something very high on BTP’s radar also and the willingness of all to work together and get on with making the problem better is really encouraging and will yield significant results.
The risk of a multi-fatality accident is ever-present whilst
GUesT COLUMnisT
Looking beyond the boundary fenceMartin Gallagher is currently Head of Community Safety at Network Rail, a job in which he has been at the forefront of the organisation’s partnerships for three years. In an early and significant move by new Chief Executive Officer David Higgins to meet the challenges ahead, Martin is about to move to a fresh challenge in an important new role as Head of Level Crossings.
“…amuchcloserandmoreefficientworkingrelationship…”
A new state-of-the-art police station at Leeds railway station brings Leeds based officers together for the first time
“thewilling-nessofalltoworktogetherandgetonwithmakingtheproblembetterisreallyencouraging”
Line GenerAL MAnAGers On THe TUbe And dLr nOw HAve A desiGnATed bTP insPeCTOr As A sinGLe POinT Of COnTACT, fOLLOwinG reALiGnMenT Of POLiCinG resOUrCes
we have thousands of level crossings on the network. It will take a long time and hundreds of millions of pounds to change this but in the interim we have to manage this risk and reduce it.
Enforcement is a fertile area for change and development. The first dedicated mobile enforcement vehicle went live at the beginning of the year and is proving extremely successful. We will be rolling out more vehicles across the network this year whilst developing the fixed red light camera solution for public road crossings.
Changing the behaviour of users is vital. Enforcement is a good tool, but this has to be supported by education, a suitable sanction, and support from the Crown Prosecution Service or Procurator Fiscal’s office.
If we were to see six points on a licence for any violation and a substantial premium on insurance, then that is worth just as much as a campaign to raise awareness, or a new set of warning lights.
The solution to all of these issues is multi-layered. They require both internal commitment and external support to succeed: the industry support is there and external partners are willing to engage. With these vital ingredients in place, the future looks positive and improvements to safety and performance may be not too far way.
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EEnabling having the organisation, finance and planning in place to make it happen
Education of children, opinion formers and the industry itself
Enforcement ledbyBTP,butenlistingsupportfromtheCPS,judiciaryandlocalforces,andtheuseofCrimestoppers
Engineering solutionslookingatcrimeprevention,boundaries,surveillanceandmore
Evaluation Setting a baseline before embarking on initiatives. The before and after can then be properly compared to understand what works well and what does not
Strategy for tackling route crime: the five “E’s”
Positive action over many years means that route crime is on a long-term downward trend, but it still presents major challenges to police and the rail industry and costs upwards of £150 million a year.
Route crime may be a daily occurrence, but it is by no means routine, in many cases presenting significant hazards to rail users and staff.
According to the latest published figures from the Office of Rail Regulation, the annual tally of train incidents due to malicious action – stonethrowing, obstructing lines or arson for instance – is down from 309 to 213. However, that 213 still represents 42 per cent of all train incidents.
At this time of year, BTP officers around the country target trespass and vandalism hotspots. In Scotland for instance, over 40 locations are under the microscope, from Alness to Whinhill.
Highlighting increased high visibility and covert patrols, Area Commander Chief Superintendent Ellie Bird issued a timely warning to parents.
“We are hoping that through the education work we have already done, we will reduce the number of incidents and deter youngsters from committing any of the route crime offences.
“But we will never become complacent and I am personally urging all parents to emphasize the dangers and ensure youngsters keep away from the tracks during
BTP’s Neighbourhood Policing Team in Southport is saddling up as a better way of to tackling crime in their area.
“The new mountain bikes will give our officers greater freedom to police the railway – particularly in those lineside locations which can be difficult to access through more conventional, four-wheeled methods,” said Sergeant Caroline Farrow. “They will also give us an added edge when pursuing criminals in similar locations.
“We aim to use the bikes as often as possible and they
will be particularly useful in tackling some of the problems we face – especially during school holiday periods when youngsters seem to be drawn to certain parts of the railway.”
The arrival of BTP’s mountain bikes coincides with the launch of new secure cycle storage on parts of the Merseyrail network. The storage at Southport is housed in a new cycle centre which also provides cycle maintenance for the public and bikes for hire as
part of the Southport Cycle Town initiative.
“Bike security is an important reason for using Merseyrail’s great new bike stores at many of our stations,” commented Merseyrail’s Managing Director, Bart Schmeink.
BTP is rolling out cycles to many of its police stations across the north west.
Scotland’s BackTrack initiative is a successful multi-agency forum for rail industry partners set up over seven years ago.
Now it is being expanded to include level crossing and cable theft issues, as well as route crime.
“The BackTrack initiative has been extremely effective in driving down route crime in Scotland – by over 20 per cent in the past year alone,” said Chief Inspector Dave Marshall.
“I am determined that, with the continued support of our rail
industry partners, we will be able to see the same dramatic effects on level crossing misuse and cable theft.”
Backtrack was set up in 2003 to bring together different parts of the rail industry in Scotland to look at ways of improving safety and performance, and to share best practice and agree tasking priorities.
Those taking part in the BackTrack forum include ScotRail, Network Rail, the Office of Rail Regulation, Rail Accident Investigation Branch, Transport Scotland and ROSPA. They are currently meeting every two weeks to identify current hot spots for route crime, and now wider issues, and to plan the best way of dealing with them.
Trains are on caution: police have been called because a child takes a shortcut across a railway line or youths have been throwing stones at trains.
These are examples of route crime – a portmanteau term that includes trespass, graffiti, children playing chicken with trains or placing objects on the tracks, vandalism and more – and they are happening daily on the network
route crime is not routineRail and East Midlands Trains to run a Q train in the Derby and Nottinghamshire areas over Easter for the first time in at least five years.
The train is running between Derby and Nottingham taking in the Erewash Valley, a particular problem area.
“We will run the Q train and increase patrols over the holidays,” says Inspector
Clements. “The Q train looks like an ordinary train but it can stop anywhere on the tracks, and officers and Network Rail staff can climb off to deal with any problems instantly.”
The move supports two ‘Scarecrow’ operations being run around Nottingham and Leicester which involve teams of Network Rail staff making regular visits to hotspots.
the holidays.”Following success with route crime,
Scotland is now extending its partnership working to other areas (see Operation Backtrack panel).
No Messin’The No Messin’ campaign, introduced by Network Rail five years ago, has also targeted hotspot areas and helped reduce crime by almost a third. Using live events, sports and celebrity involvement, it raises awareness and diverts youngsters away from crime.
Boxing champion Amir Khan has fronted much of the campaign, including the inaugural No Messin’ Tri-nation boxing competition held in January at Bolton’s Reebok Stadium.
“In the three years since we launched Gloves community gym with Network Rail in Bolton, hundreds of kids have come through our doors,” said the World light welterweight champion. “Instead of hanging around the streets or mucking about on the railway, they learn a fun, disciplined sport which keeps them fit and out of trouble.”
Supporting the industry’s educational initiatives is the Track Off brand, managed by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB). The website, www.trackoff.org, provides free educational resources to schools, colleges, youth centres and community groups.
Return of the Q trainThis Easter, the Q train is about to make a return to the East Midlands. Inspector Mark Clements, East Midlands Sector Commander, has been working with Network
BackTrack takes a new route
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As budgets are squeezed, the mantra of making the best use of resources is truer than ever. Now BTP has enhanced the way it looks at crime and incidents with the introduction of MapInfo Professional, advanced analytical mapping software.
Currently three quarters of police forces use the software, but BTP is equipped with the latest version incorporating some powerful new tools.
‘Drive Time’ helps with routeing, whilst ‘Crime Profiler’ plots hotspots.
“Analysts use the software to produce unique and innovative products incorporating a range of internal and external data,” says Principal Analyst Charlotte Crabtree. “The software will transform the way BTP and partners police the railways.”
Better analysis, understanding and visualisation of the impact of routeing times, distances and accessibility of locations supports operational decision making.
For example, analysts can work out how far an officer can travel from a police station in any given time-frame and display that on a map. That data is then compared with crime and incident hotspots to identify gaps in coverage.
As well as identifying hotspots, BTP analysts can now route crimes and other data along the railway network to identify ‘hot lines’. Crime start and end locations are plotted to identify parts of a route most vulnerable to theft or other crime to enable effective resource deployment and predictive work.
Charlotte has developed unique railway modeling to analyse data across the rail network using MapInfo. This enables detailed analysis to take place focused on lines or segments of lines, and incorporating train operators’ routes, Network Rail areas and BTP and local force areas amongst other data sets.
A future development of the system will also link in train timetables.
Hotspot mapping is being done at a local, regional, national and even international level and can be displayed as trends over time. These hotspotting products are used to support tactical and strategic planning and to focus police patrols where they will be most effective.
“We have access to a wide range of internal and external data sets,” says Charlotte.
“For instance, we are analysing internal
AdvAnCed AnALysis PUTs bTP On THe MAP
cleaning up the south eastLondonSouth’sdedicatedgraffitiunitcoversapatchspanningmorethan500stationsand2,200routemiles.Theteam,ledbyDetectiveSergeantJeremyWalley,isresponsiblefortacklinggraffitivandalismacrossthesoutheast.
information such as human resources, performance and resource data, and overlaying that with crime and disorder hotspots, as well as passenger perceptions. That way, we enhance our understanding of key cross-cutting themes across different business areas.”
Data from partner agencies – the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), Transport for London (TfL), Network Rail, train operating companies and Home Office forces for instance – is leading to the development of joint national and regional projects and problem solving initiatives.
For example joint work to assess the impact of crime prevention initiatives, such as the secure parking and stations schemes, and comparing the Metropolitan Police’s cycle theft hotspots with our own, helps target areas where BTP may see a problem in the future.
Mapping and analyses can easily be converted into user friendly documents – perfect for distribution, briefings, presentations or publication on an intranet.
Now a suite of MapInfo products has been developed for use across BTP and analytical staff have been fully trained to use the advanced software.
“It means we have a comprehensive set of innovative products that can inform decision making and problem solving and help us make optimum use of resources,” says Charlotte.
An upsurge in graffiti in the mid-2000s meant big costs for the railways in cleaning and cancelled services. This was volume crime and in 2007 BTP set up a dedicated graffiti unit on the London South Area.
DS Walley heads up a team of two detective constables and a statement taker – and they have had remarkable success with offences down 52 per cent since 2006/07 and the detection rate more than doubling.
“Graffiti is a subculture; an intrinsic part of hip-hop culture with its own set of rules and customs,” says DS Walley.
“Vandals have their unique identifying signature known as a ‘tag’ which they write on walls and trains. The tags we investigate range from those written using marker pens to much larger letters daubed on surfaces with aerosol spray paints, sometimes measuring several feet in length and height.”
Better physical and other security at depots has led to an increase in lineside vandalism, “a particular focus for us,” says DS Walley, “because this damage is most visible to passengers.”
The unit works closely with train operating companies, particularly
Southeastern, Southern and South West Trains, to secure evidence. Train operators help police by getting staff to photograph graffiti attacks and by providing statements, detailing the cost of damage and resulting disruption.
“We recognise that this is sometimes time-consuming and laborious for staff, but it is evidence that proves critical time and
time again in successful prosecutions,” says DS Walley.
Graffiti writers vary, as do the skills required by those working on the Unit.
Investigators need to be technically-savvy – a good deal of information about graffiti is now posted on the internet – and must be able to use circumstantial evidence effectively, as few offenders are caught red–handed at the scene.
A good understanding of graffiti subculture and terminology is also important, especially when interviewing suspects and linking offences.
The typical offender? DS Walley would put him, and it is usually him, as between 15 and 23, white, and also involved in low level drug use of some kind. But that doesn’t describe everyone – some vandals continue into middle age, as demonstrated by a 37-year-old currently in the unit’s sights.
The graffiti culture is all about kudos says DS Walley. “A writer’s status is based on how prolific they are, how well-executed their graffiti is and where they do it, amongst other things. The more prolific the vandal is and the more high-profile their target – i.e. a train carriage – the more kudos they acquire.”
The team has built up a good picture of their targets, but the reverse is also true.
“Repeat offenders come to know us very well and some regularly write abuse about us as part of their vandalism or on social networking sites,” says DS Walley.
“It can get pretty personal, but you accept that it comes with the role and shows, I think, that what we do is having an effect.”
Prosecuting graffiti is a specialist area, and one of the team, DC Colin Saysell, is as expert as they come, in fact the only registered graffiti expert in Britain.
The Crown Prosecution Service also plays its part, with one expert lawyer dealing with the majority of graffiti cases. The result is a growing body of case law and graffiti being taken increasingly seriously in the courts.
In the last year, DS Walley and his team have successfully prosecuted, amongst other cases, nine individuals responsible for over £350,000 of damage – and they have no intention of stopping there.
case studY
LOndOn nOrTH AreA HAs wOn A TOP indUsTry AwArd fOr inTernAL COMMUniCATiOns exCeLLenCe AT THe rAiL bUsiness AwArds
The Area was commended for Operation Contact, an internal campaign aimed at improving quality of service for victims.
Chief Inspector Theresa Ferguson was the project manager. “It was a complete shock when our name was called out. This award is for everyone on London North who has taken to heart the importance of delivering a high standard of service to victims of crime.”
communications award for london north
Left to right: DS Jeremy Walley, DC Colin Saysell, PC Will Livings and statement taker Mick Hoare
“The software enables analysts to visualise any data set and map a range of data against the rail network,” says Principal Analyst Charlotte Crabtree.
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What is the best thing about your job?The best thing about the role is the opportunity to get out into the community, help people and solve any issues that arise on the Cross-City route. I thoroughly enjoy working with all sections of the community – it’s such a diverse community we are responsible for policing.
What is the worst thing?For me, the worst thing is when it’s raining because people are not as approachable and in more of a rush to get from A to B. That makes it difficult to get the chance to talk to them and find out if there are any issues bothering them that we might not necessarily be aware of.
What have you found most satisfying recently?I did a presentation recently for the Sikh Security Forum at West Midland Police’s HQ in Birmingham. I gave them a detailed picture of what BTP does and how we differ from WMP and it went down really well, as many were unaware of our existence or what we did. I do many presentations like this throughout the year and it all helps to raise awareness among
different communities. Another recent one I did was with the Somali community – while their members gave WMP officers a hard time, they said I had answered all their questions in my talk and they were delighted with the information they’d received.
What frustrates you most?I’d love to be able to do even more in the community. Being a PCSO on a team that is dedicated to policing a particular line of route, your hands are sometimes tied by having to do dedicated patrols. While I appreciate our main role is to provide high-visibility reassurance, and that is important, I’d like to build more links with different groups and people and continue to spread awareness of BTP and the work we do.
What do you think the most important quality of a PCSO is?You really need to be a good communicator and be willing to listen to people and understand their concerns. Our PCs are often busy in their roles, so we must be in a position to spend time with people on trains, at stations and on the concourse at New Street. On top of that is the need to remain professional at all times in everything we do.
What is the one thing you would change if you could?Ideally, I would like to see PCSOs given more responsibilities to allow us to be a bit more active when a situation arises. I think it would be an advantage to have powers of arrest, to be able to carry batons or Captor spray and be given more training in areas such as statement taking. OK, this might mean you’re stepping into the role of a PC and you might then say there would be no need for PCSOs, but I think a balance could be found where PCSOs could have more responsibility and it would be of benefit to all.
What do you do when you aren’t working?I work very closely with various groups in my own community, such as the Sikh Gurdwara in Wednesfield and the Sikh Council UK, so I guess some of it is no different to when I’m at work. I thoroughly enjoy being a part of, and engaging with, everyone – I thrive on it and I think it was something I was born to do!
Why is victim and witness care important?It’s simple: if witnesses, who are often victims as well, do not testify, then the guilty go free and the police have wasted a lot of time and money investigating and bringing a case to court.
No Witness No Justice is about putting victims and witnesses at the heart of the criminal justice system.
One of the roles of BTP’s justice units is to give the support that victims and witnesses need.
“They need to know they are supported whilst going through probably one of the worst ordeals of their life,” explains Susan Yeomans-Jones, Operations Manager for the Central Justice Unit. “That also promotes the criminal justice system, encouraging others to come forward should they be a victim of crime.”
Where have we come from?Over two years, the CJU has have gone from being the worst performing justice unit in the BTP to the best for witness and victim care. BTP now regularly features at the top of the published data supplied by the national Victim and Witness Care Delivery Unit for witness attendance, which compares us against our Home Office colleagues.
How did we achieve this?The performance gap was due to process. It wasn’t about the ability or commitment of the people in the CJU, who were all anxious to deliver a first class service. The roles of Witness Care Officer and Case Builder were amalgamated, cutting down on duplication and giving staff more time for victim and witness care. The unit now operates a ‘cradle to grave’ process that gives CJU staff accountability and responsibility. That improves the service to witnesses and enhances the experience for staff. Rigorous performance management is now in place to ensure a high level of service delivery.
What were the results?The percentage of witnesses attending court has increased progressively since 2008.
The number of people supported has also increased considerably.
What are the next steps?“Sustaining this huge improvement is vital,” says Susan Yeomans-Jones.
“We embed the performance of the CJU in the staff appraisals and take every opportunity to make them aware of the results of their hard work.
“Keeping staff keen and enthusiastic is important. We also make sure they are very aware of the importance and influence they have in ensuring the success of criminal proceedings.”
Witness Care Managers from all four of BTP’s justice units meet regularly to ensure that lessons learnt are applied across all Areas.
Give PCSOs more responsibility
drAMATiC sOLUTiOns TO GAnGs And weAPOnsTwo dramas have been playing an important role in warning young people against gang culture and weapons.
The BTP-commissioned play PACT (see The Line Jan-Feb) performed by Arc Theatre focuses on the dilemma faced by 19-year-old Ethan who witnesses a murder and must decide whether to co-operate with the police. After performances in London, it has now been staged in Birmingham, Cardiff, Huddersfield and Liverpool.
Also in Birmingham, A-Level drama
students from Great Barr School have been performing on the concourse at Birmingham New Street station over two days. The five minute play Cutting Edge highlights the dangers and consequences of carrying knives and weapons.
Cutting Edge is the result of a partnership between the Neighbourhood Policing Team and Great Barr School. Together they secured around £2,600 funding from youth charity The Prince’s Trust to stage the event.
The money is part of Home Office
funding the Trust received to launch The Ben Kinsella Fund. That funds young people running local anti-knife crime activities.
Ben, 16, was tragically stabbed to death in London in 2008 while out celebrating the end of his GCSE exams. His sister, former EastEnders actress Brooke Kinsella, was appointed a Government adviser on the issue of knife crime in June 2010 and helped BTP launch the event at Birmingham New Street in February.
THe CenTrAL JUsTiCe UniT deALs wiTH PrOseCUTiOns fOr bTP’s THree LOndOn AreAs, THe MAJOriTy Of PrOseCUTiOns in briTAin
nUMber Of PeOPLe sUPPOrTed
wiTnesses wArned fOr COUrT
visiTs MAde
referrALs
sPeCiAL MeAsUres
Police Community Support Officer Bhupinder Gakhal joined the Wales and Western Area in 2007.
He moved to the West Midlands from Yorkshire, where he served with West Yorkshire Police. Pinder, as he is widely known, is part of the Birmingham Cross-City Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) covering London Midland’s Cross-City route between Redditch and Litchfield Trent Valley, via Birmingham New Street. He is also a key member of the Wales and Western Area’s Diversity Action Group.
case studYno witness no Justice
2008
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373
2008
2008
2008
2009
2009
2009
2009
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2010
2010
2010
ThesearereferralstowitnessservicesatthecourtrunbyVictimSupport
VulnerableandIntimidatedorboth
94% ATTENDANCE
6,867 witnesses
20086,722 witnesses
2010
6,354 witnesses
2009
95% ATTENDANCE
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10 the line THe MAGAZine Of briTisH TrAnsPOrT POLiCe issUe 14, APriL 2011 the line 11
Calum McNicol has a new lease of life thanks to his daughter Debbie, a young BTP officer from Glasgow, who has just returned to duty after donating one of her kidneys.
Debbie was given the news last year that her dad desperately needed the life-enhancing living transplant. His condition had continued to deteriorate in spite of dialysis three times a week and a cocktail of drugs.
“I nagged my dad for years to allow me to get tested to see if we were a match. He refused saying that he didn’t want to risk my own future health,” said Debbie.
Eventually, Calum realised that his only option left was to give in, and father and daughter underwent a lengthy series of tests leading to the successful operation at the Western Infirmary last September.
A very happy Debbie commented: “My dad is a new man and he’s already back at work.
“I really appreciated the support I have received from everybody at BTP, especially my sergeant Billy Scott, who kept me up-to-date with all the events in the Scotland area.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back to a routine. I was a response officer, going to calls in the Glasgow area, before my operation and there is nothing to stop me doing the same role when I’m fully recovered, which should be by the summer.”
“People have asked me how I could do this. I never gave it a second thought and it just felt like the right thing to do. Research has shown that you can carry on a full life with only one of your kidneys. So I would rather have my dad than two kidneys.”
issUe 14, APriL 2011
theLine
he’s not big, but he is brave
“I’d rather have my dad than two kIdneys”
JOsHUA rAins MAy be OnLy 11, bUT He’s JUsT THe sOrT Of LAd yOU’d wAnT ArOUnd in A Crisis
Joshua with mum, Lucy, and Chief Superintendent Terry Nicholson
In fact he was 10 when he came to the aid of an 80 year old woman being threatened by youths at Aslockton station near Nottingham last October.
Both Doreen Stripling, who lives near the station, and Joshua, who was passing, went to the aid of a motorist stuck on the crossing.
A group of youths loitering at the station started to abuse and threaten Doreen and Joshua stepped up to tell them to leave her alone. This prompted one of the youths, Benjamin Parker, to turn on him. Police soon arrived and Parker was arrested.
“When news of this incident unfolded, I said ‘I want to meet Joshua’,” said Chief
Superintendent Terry Nicholson.“For a young lad to stand up to older
youths like this is quite something. I think there’s a future in the police service for him.”
To give his career a kick start, Terry presented Joshua with a commendation at Nottingham station for his bravery.
“I was not really scared,” said Joshua, who is in Year 6 of his local school. “They were saying bad words to me. I don’t think they were nice.”
And the offender? Well, he pleaded guilty to a public order offence and was given a 12 month community punishment order and 40 hours’ unpaid work.
