Questions from the British Transport Police:
(SO5) We will increase productivity through innovation, data and technology – driving efficiency and effectiveness.
5.3 Understanding, Anticipating and Predicting Crime Trends
How can different sources of information be brought together to improve BTP’s understanding of emerging crime patterns and risks? What early signals or wider social and environmental factors might indicate a shift towards more serious or organised criminal activity on the railway? How can these insights be used to inform proportionate, ethical and cost‑effective prevention strategies over time, while respecting privacy, strengthening governance and avoiding bias?
British Transport Police, 2026
(SO5) We will increase productivity through innovation, data and technology – driving efficiency and effectiveness.
5.2 Streamlining and Safeguarding Justices Processes and Engagement
How can digital tools and automation simplify the way evidence is gathered, cases are managed and the public interacts with BTP services? How might processes evolve over time to reduce duplication, delays and administrative burden, while maintaining fairness, transparency and high standards of evidence? What safeguards are needed to ensure trust, data security and accountability in more streamlined systems, and how can improved services strengthen public confidence while remaining proportionate and cost‑effective?
British Transport Police, 2026
(SO5) We will increase productivity through innovation, data and technology – driving efficiency and effectiveness.
5.1 AI for Crime Prevention and to Support Safer Railways
How can AI complement human judgement to support the prevention and detection of crime across the rail network, including making better use of existing information? How can the use of AI help BTP focus on the most important risks and opportunities, while reducing unnecessary effort and improving consistency over time, without undermining trust, accountability or professional expertise? What ethical, financial, security and governance considerations should shape the responsible and sustainable use of AI within BTP?
British Transport Police, 2026
(SO4) We will build a modern and inclusive workforce who are well equipped, well trained, well led and well cared for.
4.3 Conflict De‑escalation Training, Communication Skills and Return on Investment
What evidence‑based conflict de‑escalation techniques are most effective for frontline policing contexts?
How can scenario‑based training be designed to embed and reinforce effective communication and de‑escalation skills for officers and staff?
What measures, beyond reductions in officer injury and public complaints, can be used to assess the impact and return on investment of de‑escalation training?
British Transport Police, 2026
(SO4) We will build a modern and inclusive workforce who are well equipped, well trained, well led and well cared for.
4.2 Digital Recruit Training, Estate Strategy and Female Recruitment
What impact, if any, does retaining a single central recruit training facility – mitigated by increased use of digital learning to reduce time away from home – have on the recruitment of female police officers across England and Wales?
Does increased use of digital learning during recruit training influence early‑career retention rates among female officers?
How do location, time away from home and training delivery models affect perceptions of accessibility and attractiveness of policing careers for women?
British Transport Police, 2026
(SO4) We will build a modern and inclusive workforce who are well equipped, well trained, well led and well cared for.
4.1 Leadership Culture, Performance Management and Accountability
What factors influence managers’ willingness and confidence to address poor performance and conduct through timely and effective conversations?
How do current perceptions of effective leadership (e.g. approachability, compassion) interact with expectations around accountability, standards and performance delivery?
What evidence‑based leadership behaviours, training or organisational levers can help achieve a better balance between empathy and performance management?
British Transport Police, 2026
(SO3) We will strengthen our visible presence and improve coordination through integrated railway policing and security.
3.3 Railway CCTV Quality/Coverage, Detection & Positive Outcomes
What is the relationship between the quality of CCTV on the railway network and the likelihood of crime detection and positive outcomes for victims?
Which aspects of CCTV quality and deployment deliver the greatest marginal improvement in detection rates and investigation timeliness relative to cost?
British Transport Police, 2026
(SO3) We will strengthen our visible presence and improve coordination through integrated railway policing and security.
3.2 Partner Body‑Worn Video (BWV), Detection & Positive Outcomes
What is the relationship between railway‑industry use of Body‑Worn Video (BWV) and the likelihood of crime detection and positive outcomes for victims?
British Transport Police, 2026
(SO3) We will strengthen our visible presence and improve coordination through integrated railway policing and security.
3.1 Police/Security Visibility as a Deterrent on the Railway
What is the impact of visible policing and railway security presence on deterring crime across the railway network?
How can patrols on trains and in and around stations be deployed for optimal impact?
British Transport Police, 2026
(SO2) We will accelerate our efforts to reduce disruption, keeping the railway moving.
2.3 Anti‑Social Behaviour (ASB): Escalation Pathways, Disruption Risk & Early Intervention on the Railway
How does anti‑social behaviour on the railway escalate into more serious or disruptive incidents?
Which types, patterns or locations of ASB are most likely to cause operational disruption or service delay?
What early, proportionate interventions are most effective at preventing ASB from escalating and reducing avoidable disruption to the railway?
British Transport Police, 2026
(SO2) We will accelerate our efforts to reduce disruption, keeping the railway moving.
2.2 Trespass: Decision‑Making, Risk Perception & Behavioural Responses to DeterrenceHow do young people and other at‑risk groups perceive and assess risk when deciding to trespass on the railway?
How do trespass and incidents involving persons in crisis vary in terms of decision-making, situational awareness, and responsiveness to deterrence measures?How are deterrence campaigns understood and interpreted by young and vulnerable people, and what factors shape their effectiveness or limitations?
British Transport Police, 2026
(SO2) We will accelerate our efforts to reduce disruption, keeping the railway moving.
2.1 Organised Crime, Money Laundering and Metal & Infrastructure Offending on the Railway. How are organised crime groups exploiting financial flows, waste‑crime money‑laundering networks, and wider criminal enterprises to enable, resource, and profit from metal and infrastructure crime that disrupts the railway?
British Transport Police, 2026
(SO1) We will prevent the most serious crime and protect those who need us most.
1.3 Robbery: Series Disruption, Predictive Indicators, Intervention Effectiveness & Suspect Identification. Which operational interventions (e.g. high‑visibility patrols, plain‑clothes activity, environmental design, offender‑focused tactics) are most effective at disrupting robbery series on the rail network? To what extent do local and community‑level robbery patterns predict offences on or near railway infrastructure? Can journey‑path data and surrounding‑area crime trends be used to reliably identify and forecast high‑risk routes for targeted intervention? What alternative biometric, behavioural or environmental cues can support offender identification when facial imagery is unavailable?
British Transport Police, 2026
(SO1) We will prevent the most serious crime and protect those who need us most.
1.2 VIAWG: Underreporting and Precursor Behaviours. What factors influence whether victims of railway‑related VIAWG choose to report incidents, or not report at all? At what points do victims disengage from reporting, investigation or safeguarding processes, and what drives that attrition? How do barriers to reporting and retention vary by offence type, victim characteristics and railway context? What are the predatory behaviours seen on the railway that precede VIAWG/RASSO?
British Transport Police, 2026
(SO1) We will prevent the most serious crime and protect those who need us most.
1.1 Safeguarding Children and Young People: Exploitation, Online Harm, and Engagement.
What profiles, pathways and rail‑specific risk factors are associated with children and young people vulnerable to exploitation on the railway, including County Lines involvement and online harms?
How do online harms translate into rail‑related risk behaviours (e.g. missing episodes, exploitation or crisis incidents), and what early indicators can support timely safeguarding intervention?
What factors influence trust, reporting and sustained engagement of children and young people within safeguarding and justice processes?
British Transport Police, 2026
- 1