Department for Transport

£3.6m funding boost for British Transport Police
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date 29 Nov 2005 00:00
source Department for Transport
type Press release

Transport Secretary Alistair Darling today announced a £3.6 million funding allocation for British Transport Police (BTP). The allocation is a contribution towards the additional costs incurred by the BTP in its response to the terrorist attacks in London.

The funding will contribute to the costs of CCTV viewing equipment for speedy analysis of images, and enable the BTP to cover the costs of overtime, accommodation and other overheads.

BTP officers worked closely with the Metropolitan Police and the other emergency services to provide an immediate and effective response in the midst of the confusion caused by the bombings. Following the attacks, over 130 BTP officers and staff throughout the organisation worked long hours on the inquiry into the terrorist bombings.

Alistair Darling said:

"Following the attacks in London on 7 July, no one doubts the professionalism and dedication to duty shown by the British Transport Police. It is important that this work is not only recognised but funded appropriately.

That is why I am pleased to be able to provide this money, to meet the additional costs incurred by the BTP as a result of those events. This is for the contribution their rapid analysis of CCTV images made to the investigation, for the long hours worked by their officers, and the additional security they provided to the travelling public."

Notes to Editors

1. The British Transport Police covers the rail system across Britain including London Underground and some tram networks.

2. The Force is funded by the rail industry. On top of this regular income it also receives capital funding from the Government.

3. This one-off payment does not prejudice the general principle that it is the rail industry that is responsible for funding the BTP.

4. Today's allocation of £3.6 million to the BTP will cover the cost of overtime (£2.4m), accommodation and overheads (£0.5m), and a contribution to the costs of CCTV viewing equipment for speedy analysis of CCTV images (£0.7m). These are costs that would not have been incurred if the Operation undertaken by the BTP in response to the terrorist attacks had not taken place.

Public Enquiries: 020 7944 8300
Department for Transport Website: http://www.dft.gov.uk

Railhub Archive ::: 2005-11-29 DfT-001