Appendix - Summary Report from the Scottish Railway Policing Committee

Operational Update and Policing Performance

ACC Drummond-Smith highlighted that the average hand back time for non-suspicious fatalities is 104 minutes, higher than in England and Wales (98 mins). Work is ongoing to understand the drivers of this and to put in place improvement actions where possible. BTP are currently engaged with Transport Scotland to secure additional funding to improve resilience in rural areas. The ACC also provided reassurance to the Committee regarding BTP’s involvement in preparations for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2026.

BTP are preparing their budget submission to British Transport Police Authority (BTPA) for consideration in early December. A further update will be provided to committee after the process has concluded.
When updating on operational performance ACC Drummond-Smith confirmed Scotland (D Division) is the top performing division in the British Transport Police (BTP).

Violence is down 7%, with a an improved solve rate of 74%. BTP confirmed that they are supporting ScotRail staff to increase use Body Worn Video (BWV) as a means to tackle assaults on network staff. There has also been a reduction in Violence Against Women and Girls, with the solved rate increasing.

There was considerable discussion regarding organisational resilience, in particular with regards to staff turnover and coverage in rural area and increased passenger journeys.

Committee were advised that the previous recruitment freeze has been lifted, with two intakes of police officers now planned in November and January and assured that officer numbers have remained the same in Scotland. A further paper was requested on ensuring appropriate coverage across stations, particularly in the north of the country.
Members queried trespass figures and if there are any trends driving this. BTP advised the factors vary but noted some ‘hotspots’ (such as Priesthill in Darnley) where BTP are working with partners to prevent and address trespassing.

BTP noted its intention to continue work to roll out use of drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) and ‘drone in a box’ capabilities for more rural areas.

Committee confirmed broad support for use of drones BVLOS but were clear that public consultation and partner engagement would be required prior to any extended deployment of drones in Scotland aligned to the Authority endorsed Police Scotland Code of Practice. Ch Supt McCarron from Police Scotland noted that any proposal should be brought to Police Scotland’s Air Support Monitoring Group. Scottish Government colleagues advised that any decision would need to be communicated with ministers.

BTP Staff Survey

High level results were shared with committee on the recent staff survey, comparing performance in D Division against overall force levels. Committee noted that results were down in general and that this trend had been seen across the force, expressing concern that Scotland results are not as strong as force overall. Ch Supt McEwan noted that focus groups are planned, however scores have always been lower in Scotland, and that low scores have previously been attributed to a range of areas including pay and lack of opportunity for specialism in Scotland.

Legitimacy

BTPA highlighted the considerable work involved in overseeing stop and search. This includes dip sampling of BWV used in stop and search, including involvement of members of the community in the review process. It was confirmed that BTP D Division adhere to the Scottish Government code of practice for stop and search in Scotland.
BTP reported a 43% find rate in stop and searches in the year to date, with a deep dive on ethnicity to take place. Taser has been red dotted once and not fired.

Audit, Inspection and Risk

A summary of D Division crime and incident audit performance from quarter 1 showed that 87% of crimes were recorded in line with the crime recording standard, 91% were recorded within 72 hours, and 94% were correctly classified. This continues to compare favourably to England and Wales.

While not subject to the HMICS frontline review on Tools of the Trade, BTP has engaged officers and staff in decisions about procuring uniform and equipment were positive and will likely support recommendations.
Members welcomed the presentation of D Division specific data within the strategic risk report, alongside the overall BTP Position, which strengthens the assurance being provided to committee.

Members queried a disconnect between resilience and retention discussions elsewhere on the agenda and the content of the risk report. It was noted that issues with retention in Scotland include leavers joining the rail network or other police forces. To address retention, the people and culture team are working on revising the benefits for officers and staff.