This book traces the history of the British Transport Police, the National Police Force responsible for policing the railways of England, Scotland and Wales. The roots of the Force go back almost 200 years, starting with the development of the railways during the Nineteenth Century. Hundreds of railway companies were founded and although mergers and amalgamations took place, by the end of the century, well over 100 railway companies were operating, most of which employed railway policemen. The first railway policemen were recruited to work on the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1826. Other railway companies quickly followed and by the 1850s, railway policemen with their smart uniforms and top hats were a common sight on Britain’s railways. During the Twentieth Century, railway companies continued to merge before being nationalized in 1948. The following year, the British Transport Commission (BTC) was created to oversee not only the newly nationalized railway network, but also the nation’s docks, shipping, inland waterways, road transport, road haulage and other companies. Also in 1949, the British Transport Commission Police (BTC Police) was created to take over the policing of these newly nationalized institutions. All the former railway, dock and canal police forces were then absorbed into the new BTC Police Force. The BTC was abolished in 1962, having incurred serious financial losses. The BTC Police was renamed the British Transport Police in 1963 and has continued to operate ever since. It no longer polices the docks, harbors and canals for reasons outlined in this book.

Richard Stacpoole-Ryding explores the history of the British Transport Police.

Layton and Rogerson trace the history of Britain's first police dog unit.

Explore the history of football violence on the UK's rail network.

In March 1972, four young black men were arrested by a specialist pickpocket squad at Oval Underground Station and charged with theft and assault of police officers. Sentenced to two years in prison, the case seemed straightforward and credible to the judge and jury who convicted them – but these young men were completely innocent, victims of endemic police corruption. The real criminal in this case was the notorious DS Derek Ridgewell, later proven to be heavily involved in organised crime. Graham Satchwell, at one time Britain's most senior railway detective, has worked with Oval Four victim Winston Trew to reveal the rotten culture that not only enabled Ridgewell to operate as he did, but also to subsequently organise major thefts of property worth in excess of £1 million. Winston Trew's case was finally overturned in December 2019, but the far-reaching ramifications of Ridgewell's shocking activities has irreparably damaged many lives and must never be forgotten.

A fascinating historical insight into the role played by the early railway policemen and the types of crime which they encountered. Their endeavour to maintain law and order whilst at the same time performing operational duties to keep the railways running.

In 1981, Detective Inspector Satchwell was the officer in charge of the case against Train Robber Tom Wisbey and twenty others. The case involved massive thefts from mail trains – similar to the Great Train Robbery of 1963 where £2.6 million was taken and only £400,000 ever recovered. Thirty years later their paths crossed again and an unlikely partnership was formed, with the aim of revealing the truth about the Great Train Robbery. This book reassesses the known facts about one of the most infamous crimes in modern history from the uniquely qualified insight of an experienced railway detective, presenting new theories alongside compelling evidence and correcting the widely accepted lies and half-truths surrounding this story.

The aim of the Act is to strengthen powers to counter the increased international terrorist threat in the UK, in the light of the September 11th terrorist attacks in the US. The Act covers issues including: terrorist property, freezing orders, disclosure of information, immigration and asylum, race and religion, the control of toxins, nuclear security, aviation security, police powers, and the retention of communications data. Key measures include new powers to detain those suspected of being terrorists. Changes are also proposed to speed up the asylum process, where the Secretary of State considers the removal of a suspected terrorist would be conducive to the public good. These decisions will be subject to regular independent review by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, but the decisions of this body will no longer be subject to judicial review

This Review has established that the police service is currently ill-equipped to respond to possible and probable changes in increasingly specialised crime trends, political accountability, financial resources and the demographics of its workforce. This report covers reforms that may be introduced in the longer term. An earlier report on reforms that could be introduced in the short term published in March 2011 (Cm. 8024, ISBN 9780101802420) and made recommendations for savings of £1.1 billion over 3 years, most of which are being implemented following a determination of the Police Arbitration Panel. This report makes recommendations which could realise gross savings of £1.9 billion with £1.2 billion reinvested in policing. The 121 recommendations cover: employment framework, entry route and promotion; health, fitness and managing the workforce; basic pay, contribution-related pay and role-based pay; negotiating machinery. Each chapter contains a recommended phased process for introduction. The recommendations will provide the police service with the ability to attract and retain high calibre candidates with different skills and experiences, to maintain operational resilience by maximising the deployment of fit and healthy officers, and to manage office numbers according to need and in the public interest. Entry into the police service and advancement within would be according to the sole criterion of merit. The recommendations for reform of the pay review apparatus will have a profound effect, establishing a well-resourced professional pay review body ensuring that officers' pay is determined on sound evidence.