Advices from British Transport Police officers

[amateugraphy]

Could BTP officers from London give some details about their shift patterns, how being a BTP officer impact their family/social lives, any recommendations, pros and cons etc.
Many thanks.

 

[tiptoptaff]

@EBlackadder one for you chap

 

[Halfway Boy]

You won’t get many BTP officers on here.

The answer is that it depends where you are posted tbh.

If you are posted to a hub (major station like Paddington), an LU NPT team or some of the south London posts then you won’t do night shifts - just early and lates - with the exception of the occasional night tube shift on Friday and Saturday nights. However, you will permanently be walking around in high vis and a helmet. You will not be able to get a driving course whilst posted there.

If you are posted to response, you will do earlies, lates and nights and be normally vehicle patrols unless you’re doing night tube or football.

You will carry a lot of crimes, and it’s not as great as a posting as it used to be back in the PLR days but it’s still better than hub.

Once you’re out of your 2 year probation you can apply for specialist courses. They are not as available as they used to be for things like public order.

Other courses will depend on where you’re posted, for example I know Hammersmith was so short of drivers that probationers are getting courses straight out of their 2 years, other stations you may be waiting till year 3/4, etc.

It depends what you want to do ultimately. If you want to go into CID in BTP it is incredibly boring, and you may be stuck on a workplace violence team dealing with low level crimes (minor public order offences) committed against staff. Equally it’s easier to get into a role like CT or firearms, as BTP’s firearms teams are surprisingly large compared to their response strength.

Where do you want to go in your career should determine if you want to go Met/BTP/city.

 

[amateugraphy]

You won’t get many BTP officers on here.

The answer is that it depends where you are posted tbh.

If you are posted to a hub (major station like Paddington), an LU NPT team or some of the south London posts then you won’t do night shifts - just early and lates - with the exception of the occasional night tube shift on Friday and Saturday nights. However, you will permanently be walking around in high vis and a helmet. You will not be able to get a driving course whilst posted there.

If you are posted to response, you will do earlies, lates and nights and be normally vehicle patrols unless you’re doing night tube or football.

You will carry a lot of crimes, and it’s not as great as a posting as it used to be back in the PLR days but it’s still better than hub.

Once you’re out of your 2 year probation you can apply for specialist courses. They are not as available as they used to be for things like public order.

Other courses will depend on where you’re posted, for example I know Hammersmith was so short of drivers that probationers are getting courses straight out of their 2 years, other stations you may be waiting till year 3/4, etc.

It depends what you want to do ultimately. If you want to go into CID in BTP it is incredibly boring, and you may be stuck on a workplace violence team dealing with low level crimes (minor public order offences) committed against staff. Equally it’s easier to get into a role like CT or firearms, as BTP’s firearms teams are surprisingly large compared to their response strength.

Where do you want to go in your career should determine if you want to go Met/BTP/city.

Thanks a lot

 

[Stigy]

There’s a few police forums about that may be a better bet to be honest. I can answer several aspects as I have an intimate knowledge of the work and how it impacts family life though.

Let’s just say with a family, I’d not join now. Rest days cancelled, A/L cancelled, unsociable hours and a general lack of staff morale are the main reasons. They’re losing staff hand over fist to the likes of TOCs/NWR and even the Met. If I was a young, 20 something without a family, I’d probably have joined a few years ago. I’m glad I didn’t though. Others may have better experiences of course, and as I said, without a family to consider it’s not a bad number to be fair, but this is what I’ve witnessed first hand from a job very similar, with a TOC.

Plus sides - the money is good (even for a student officer if you’re inner London based), loads of overtime and at outpost type response locations it’s an easy job (better if you like not having much happen, then driving 72-miles on blue lights when it does)

 

[Quin79]

There’s a few police forums about that may be a better bet to be honest. I can answer several aspects as I have an intimate knowledge of the work and how it impacts family life

Let’s just say with a family, I’d not join now. Rest days cancelled, A/L cancelled, unsociable hours and a general lack of staff morale are the main reasons. They’re losing staff hand over fist to the likes of TOCs/NWR and even the Met. If I was a young, 20 something without a family, I’d probably have joined a few years ago. I’m glad I didn’t though. Others may have better experiences of course, and as I said, without a family to consider it’s not a bad number to be fair, but this is what I’ve witnessed first hand from a job very similar, with a TOC.

Plus sides - the money is good (even for a student officer if you’re inner London based), loads of overtime and at outpost type response locations it’s an easy job (better if you like not having much happen, then driving 72-miles on blue lights when it does)

Where were you based mate? Glad to be out I bet

 

[bionic]

Could BTP officers from London give some details about their shift patterns, how being a BTP officer impact their family/social lives, any recommendations, pros and cons etc.
Many thanks.

Pros: always sitting around in railway staff mess facilities but somehow always managing to be at least 45 minutes away whenever called upon by railway staff.

Cons: ?

 

[Stigy]

Where were you based mate? Glad to be out I bet

I’ve never been in, but my role works closely with BTP (until June 29th when I’ve officially jumped ship haha). I think it’s the same in most forces from what I’ve heard. It was once a great job, and as I said, still is if you’ve not got a family or commitments. The fact that BTP have had more recruitment campaigns in the past couple of years than seemingly ever before, in my eyes, speaks volumes. I know Night Tube required further recruitment, as did certain locations going 24-hours, but other than that, their numbers haven’t increased that dramatically to warrant the 100s of vacant positions.

 

[Stigy]

Forgot to add; it’s also good if you’re career minded or have a degree in something bizarre as everyone seems to be a sergeant?

 

[Quin79]

Forgot to add; it’s also good if you’re career minded or have a degree in something bizarre as everyone seems to be a sergeant?

Haha....count myself in the latter

 

[Stigy]

Haha....count myself in the latter

You have a degree in something bizarre, AND a Sergeant, or just a Sergeant?

 

[Quin79]

You have a degree in something bizarre, AND a Sergeant, or just a Sergeant?

Nooooo. Just a Sergeant from the school of hard knocks

 

[Stigy]

Nooooo. Just a Sergeant from the school of hard knocks

Fair play, as it should be of course!

I’ve seen loads of PCs literally just out of their probation, acting up and them becoming substantive Sergeants. I’m all for development, but I think you need to have some time under your belt first.

 

[Instructor_Guy]

I applied for the role of Police Officer with BTP in January when they had their recruitment drive, I applied for Southampton. Recently took the online psychometric tests but unfortunately didn't pass them. Naturally I was disappointed but from what I've read here and on other forums maybe it was just as well.

 

[Gooner18]

You won’t get many BTP officers on here.

The answer is that it depends where you are posted tbh.

If you are posted to a hub (major station like Paddington), an LU NPT team or some of the south London posts then you won’t do night shifts - just early and lates - with the exception of the occasional night tube shift on Friday and Saturday nights. However, you will permanently be walking around in high vis and a helmet. You will not be able to get a driving course whilst posted there.

If you are posted to response, you will do earlies, lates and nights and be normally vehicle patrols unless you’re doing night tube or football.

You will carry a lot of crimes, and it’s not as great as a posting as it used to be back in the PLR days but it’s still better than hub.

Once you’re out of your 2 year probation you can apply for specialist courses. They are not as available as they used to be for things like public order.

Other courses will depend on where you’re posted, for example I know Hammersmith was so short of drivers that probationers are getting courses straight out of their 2 years, other stations you may be waiting till year 3/4, etc.

It depends what you want to do ultimately. If you want to go into CID in BTP it is incredibly boring, and you may be stuck on a workplace violence team dealing with low level crimes (minor public order offences) committed against staff. Equally it’s easier to get into a role like CT or firearms, as BTP’s firearms teams are surprisingly large compared to their response strength.

Where do you want to go in your career should determine if you want to go Met/BTP/city.

Do BTP response officers hold on to their crimes , or do they hold them over to a crime progression unit ?

 

[Stigy]

Do BTP response officers hold on to their crimes , or do they hold them over to a crime progression unit ?

BTP used to have Crime Action Teams (CATs) who took the majority of run of the mill crimes. I believe it was mainly in London but then became a trial in other areas too. However that seems to have fallen by the wayside and now all officers see their own crimes through from start to finish, and have crimes allocated to them.

 

[Gooner18]

BTP used to have Crime Action Teams (CATs) who took the majority of run of the mill crimes. I believe it was mainly in London but then became a trial in other areas too. However that seems to have fallen by the wayside and now all officers see their own crimes through from start to finish, and have crimes allocated to them.

Ahh ok , just like the Met have got rid of CPU ( crime progression unit ) , response now hold on to most crimes , which is really working out well.....