British Transport Police
The British Transport Police (BTP) is a national police service for the railway system throughout Great Britain. The service is also responsible for policing the London Underground system, the Docklands Light Railway, the Midland Metro and Croydon Tramlink. They are not, however, responsible for policing the Glasgow Underground or the Tyne and Wear Metro. The service has 2,206 regular police officers, 129 special constables and 667 support staff throughout England, Wales, and Scotland. Northern Ireland does not have an extensive railway system, and responsibility for policing remains in control of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
The British Transport Police can trace its history back to 1825, to the origins of the police service in Britain. It was judged that the railways needed their own police force given that they transport millions of passengers everyday; carry valuable goods in cargo; and incidents on the railway can have knock on effects throughout the country. At one time every railway company had its own police force, but these were amalgamated on the formation of British Rail in 1948.
British Transport Police officers have the same powers as regular British Police. They do however, limit their activities to the railway network and those other networks listed above as well as crime near or on land owned by the networks.
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