British Transport Police Federation

15/06/2026

A second group of reps has completed the BTP Federation's new advocacy training programme.

Thanks to Leighton Rivers, Steve Morrison, Brian Williams, Carol Peters, John Paul O'Kane and Tom Jepson for being such active and enthusiastic participants.

Reps are frequently required to assist members in high‑stakes, formal processes where professionalism, clarity and confidence can directly influence outcomes. The training ensures that our reps have the skills, knowledge and confidence needed to fulfil that responsibility effectively.

13/06/2026

Congratulations to our two colleagues who have been recognised in The King’s Birthday Honours List 2026.

Child exploitation expert Amanda Radley and Sergeant Kyle Gordon have been made Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBEs).

It’s a source of great pride for us all to see their excellent work highlighted and honoured in this way.

Read the full story here: https://www.btp.police.uk/news/btp/news/england/two-from-btp-awarded-mbes-in-kings-birthday-honours/

12/06/2026

From the first recorded death on duty in 1838 to the present day, the names of more than 130 officers from BTP and its predecessor forces are included in a new online memorial.

BTP Federation has welcomed the launch of the Digital Memorial created by the Police Arboretum Memorial Trust (UK Police Memorial) and the Police Remembrance Trust. The platform is dedicated to commemorating police officers and staff who have died in the line of duty.

James Daniell, a Police Constable with London and Birmingham Railway Police, died on 28 September 1838 when he was struck by a train while on duty at Watford Station. The most recent entry is for Vassili Bogomoletz, who died of heart failure on 6 December 2005 during probationer training at Tadworth.

Our Chair, Stuart Cowan, said: “This is so much more than a list of names. The Digital Memorial really brings home the sacrifice that all police officers make when they walk into work, not knowing what they may face.

“I hope this memorial will offer comfort to families and friends and assure them that the person they have lost was valued and that their service and sacrifice will never be forgotten.”

More than 130 fallen BTP colleagues are honoured on the new Digital Memorial

11/06/2026

Time is running out!

If you haven't yet nominated a colleague for a BTP Federation Award of Excellence, what are you waiting for?

There are just a few days left to tell us about your:
💡 Cop of the Year
💡 Team of the Year
💡 Detective Investigation of the Year, and
💡 Special of the Year

Fill in the short nomination form here: https://9xnq6a5vxbp.typeform.com/to/Qwr7FikQ

11/06/2026

Once again, our thoughts are with our colleagues in Northern Ireland and the wider community affected by ongoing violent disorder.

Twelve officers were injured last night, and we wish them all a speedy recovery.

A total of 12 officers were injured during disturbances last night down to ‘violent fascist law-breakers’ who want to wreck Northern Ireland.

It is intolerable that our colleagues are bearing the brunt of street disorder. They are doing their level best to curtail, frustrate and arrest rioters.

Our thoughts are with the officers who sustained injuries and who were confronted by thugs throwing bricks, masonry and petrol-bombs and used lasers directed at our frontline.

Assaults on our officers are completely unacceptable. The physical and psychological impact can last a lifetime for them and their families. Assaults stop officers doing their jobs: protecting the vulnerable, keeping roads safe, investigating crime, preventing harm.

Sixteen arrests have been made so far and police efforts will continue at pace to bring scores of others before the courts, with the hope they will be handed maximum sentences.

General disorder and the forced re-location of innocent families should leave us shamed and angry. Violent racist and fascist lawbreakers offer nothing but hopelessness and mindless thuggery.
200 additional officers under Mutual Aid will provide some much-needed relief for our colleagues.

However, we are 700 officers below where we should be and some 1,200 short of the 7,500 that was promised.

Lives are being turned upside down by masked cowards and it’s time this violence stopped.

10/06/2026

Stuart Cowan has shared how the personal impact of being part of the search team working in the aftermath of the Manchester attack is fuelling his work to secure better mental health support for officers.

He is leading the EuroCOP Mental Wellbeing Group in campaigning for better mental health and wellbeing support for officers across Europe. This collective effort has been featured in the latest edition of 1919 Magazine, Scotland's justice and social affairs magazine.

Stuart says: "'I want to see a real focus on early intervention, a real focus on being proactive and addressing the issues at an early stage''

Read the article here:

Members from the 35 police unions that make up EuroCop are joining forces to tackle mental health in policing

09/06/2026

After our Management Board meeting at The Police Treatment Centres in Harrogate, reps were shown some of the newest facilities.

Around a third of BTP officers are members of the PTC. This means two-thirds can't access the intensive physio, physical therapy, or wellbeing support the charity provides.

Much has changed at the PTC in recent years.

Alongside support for injuries and post-op recovery, the charity has introduced a two-week residential Psychological Wellbeing Programme (PWP). Designed to treat mild to moderate anxiety and depression through a combination of counselling and group workshops, it's making a huge difference.

We took a seat in one of the new relaxation rooms while a member of the PTC team explained how the (generally standard) two weeks of residential physio can often be split to accommodate family commitments. Plus, some support is available online to remove barriers to access.

St Andrews in Harrogate and Castlebrae in Perthshire are impressive facilities with knowledgeable and caring staff who work to return you to fitness, often faster than many alternatives.

If you're a donor, do remind yourself of what's available to you. If you don't currently donate, find out more here: https://www.thepolicetreatmentcentres.org/

08/06/2026

Conduct matters, OPM, rest day cancellations, and pressure on officers were all on the agenda at our Management Board meeting.

Local reps deal with all sorts of issues in their divisions, but this is the forum where matters affecting officers across multiple areas are shared. Reps share anonymised information about cases and the progress they have made to date. This enables the Exec team to take their concerns and suggested solutions to the force through bodies such as the Joint Central Committee and National Negotiating Meetings.

For the most part, reps have good relations with local leadership and can often resolve issues before they become significant. Other matters take longer to address. We are looking for ways to share more of the positive outcomes with you, including in the monthly blog.

02/06/2026

The Police Treatment Centres’ AGM was well attended today but there was one person we were especially pleased to see.

Baroness Angela Harris is a good friend to this Federation and a long-term supporter of the police service.

President of the Police Treatment Centres charity, Baroness Harris is pictured with our Chair, Stuart Cowan, who is a trustee.

02/06/2026

Police Federation reps, Trustees, and supporters of The Police Treatment Centres are taking part in a 12-hour padelathon to raise money for the charity.

On Friday 14 August, the group will play padel tennis continuously for twelve hours at St Andrews, the charity’s treatment centre in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. They will play on the centre’s newly opened padel court, built during a recent investment in the charity’s wellbeing facilities.

To make the challenge even more difficult, during time off the court, players will take turns cycling on static bikes. The aim of this side quest is to cover 210 miles – the distance between St Andrews and Castlebrae, the treatment centre in Perthshire, Scotland - as many times as possible.

The challenge was conjured up by our Chair, Stuart Cowan. He said: We are all big supporters of the Police Treatment Centres and have seen at first-hand the amazing work they do to help officers recover from physical injuries and mental health challenges.

“The charity relies on donations to provide its life-changing services, so in order to raise as much money as possible, we really wanted to test ourselves. The padelathon will be tiring, but adding the cycling challenge takes it to another level.”

Every penny counts, and you can support the challenge here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/padelathon-for-ptc

For the full story and a run-down of the team players...
https://btpolfed.org.uk/news/padel-for-protectors

The next Federation fundraiser for the Police Treatment Centres is a 12-hour padelathon at St Andrews in Harrogate