Railway police merger plan will lead to officers quitting in droves, MSPs told
THE SNP’s planned merger of British Transport Police and Police Scotland could lead to an exodus of skilled staff, MSPs were warned yesterday.
Ministers have pledged to maintain the number of transport officers operating on the railways but there are fears this would include many officers who lack experience of policing the network.
British Transport Police (BTP) Federation chairman Nigel Goodband said many seasoned officers could leave the force due to the forced merger and uncertainty over conditions and pensions.
He said this would lead to skills being ‘diluted’, along with the priorities of the specialist force, with focus shifting from the railways onto other policing matters. Mr Goodband addressed MSPs on Holyrood’s justice committee yesterday as the BTP insisted it would charge Police Scotland for any services it would be required to carry out north of the Border following a merger.
The Railway Policing Bill is to be introduced by the Scottish Government at the Scottish parliament to push forward devolution of law enforcement powers.
Mr Goodband said: ‘Certain staff won’t want to take a risk by transferring and changing terms or pensions rights.
‘It is going to be an enforced transfer. There will be individuals who will leave policing if they don’t remain a BTP officer.
‘So how do the Scottish Government and Police Scotland give the public the guarantee that they can retain that expertise, knowing that potentially there are going to be officers that leave the force?
‘Our service will be diluted – the priorities of Police Scotland are different from what train companies and passengers want.’
BTP deputy chief constable Adrian Hancock said: ‘Why does BTP exist now if it is so easy for it to be absorbed into a geographic model? There’s a need for policing the railway in a different way.’
Mr Hancock was asked whether or not the BTP could continue to operate north of the Border following the merger, to which he replied: ‘If [BTP] do not have responsibility for Scotland, why would we provide that? It would have to be a commissioned service that Police Scotland would have to pay for.’
Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Bernard Higgins said there would be ‘massive transition issues’ but added: ‘It’s complicated but not insurmountable.’
He said all BTP officers would be given grandfather rights, which means their existing pension terms would continue.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Specialist railway policing expertise and capacity will be maintained and protected within Police Scotland, with improved access to wider support and specialist equipment.’