British Transport Police: Finance
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of funding for British Transport Police.
Answered by Simon Lightwood
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. Set against a backdrop of wider public sector efficiencies and affordability by the rail industry it has agreed a budget increase for the financial year 2025/26 of 5.9%.
The cost of policing the rail network in Great Britain is primarily covered through the funding agreements that the British Transport Police Authority holds with Network Rail, the rail operators and Transport for London.
The Department can, under some limited specific circumstances, support the BTP with additional grant funding such as for additional policing during periods of civil unrest.
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