Rail policing merger would ‘place passengers and staff at risk’ from terrorism

Officers and rail staff have both launched formal campaigns to stop British Transport Police (BTP) being merged into Police Scotland.

BTP Federation chair Nigel Goodband has written to Ministers asking them to suspend the Railway Policing (Scotland) Bill, which would combine the two forces.

Mr Goodband questioned whether it is right to proceed the merger at a time of heightened national threat from terrorism, as “teething problems” could leave rail passengers at risk.

His rallying call comes as the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) launched an online petition urging the Scottish Government to drop the Bill.

Mr Goodband wrote: “During a time of vulnerability, I believe it would be imprudent to place passengers and staff at risk by continuing with the proposed integration.

“During any transfer of services there is always a level of uncertainty and, learning from the inception of Police Scotland, there are likely to be teething problems with the transfer of staff, assets, IT and so on. This will inevitably impact on the level of service provided.

“With this in mind, the British Transport Police Federation questions whether it is right that this integration continues while transport hubs and the country’s infrastructure is at such a risk from terrorism. I would suggest not.”

Four terror attacks have been recorded in the UK in 2017 so far.

None have specifically targeted transport hubs or rail networks, but all have taken place in close proximity and involved BTP officers responding.

The Railway Policing (Scotland) Bill passed its first hurdle last month when MSPs voted in favour of it by 66 to 44.

Holyrood’s Justice Committee also gave its backing, in spite of dissent from Conservative and Labour MSPs.

The BTP Federation has long raised concerns about the Bill’s impact on cross-border services and on officers’ skills and expertise.

The Scottish Government has said that Police Scotland will issue all its officers with rail policing training after 2019.

At the time of publication, the TSSA’s petition to suspend the Bill had reached 1,436 of its target of 1,500 signatures.

TSSA General Secretary Manuel Cortes said: “Rail safety is not a political principle. It is a public necessity and the SNP would do well to heed the lack of mood in Scotland for their nationalist interest being placed over the national interest.

“The national interest demands we retain a single trans-UK British Transport Police as a highly skilled, railway dedicated, cross-border, national force.”

A spokesperson for Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said the merger will ensure railway policing in Scotland is accountable to the public.

They added: “Integration will provide a single command structure for policing in Scotland with seamless access to wider support facilities and specialist resources including Police Scotland’s counter-terrorism capabilities, providing an enhanced service provision to the railway industry and travelling public.”