– in the Scottish Parliament at on 9 March 2017.
Liam Kerr
Conservative
4. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the proposed integration of the British Transport Police in Scotland into Police Scotland. (S5O-00755)
Humza Yousaf
Scottish National Party
The Scottish Government’s Railway Policing (Scotland) Bill was introduced on 8 December, with the objective of paving the way for the integration of the British Transport Police in Scotland into Police Scotland. The bill is currently subject to parliamentary scrutiny.
Liam Kerr
Conservative
It is the opinion of, among others, the rail operators, the rail unions, the travelling public, the British Transport Police Federation, the BTP itself and now even Police Scotland that the merger is unnecessary and threatens passenger safety. Deputy Chief Constable Hanstock has said that BTP has not been able to identify any operational or economic benefits, and the BTP Federation has said that the force
“is an established and successful model”,
and has highlighted a recent inspection, which was so successful that no recommendations were made.
The British Transport Police is not broken. What is the Scottish Government trying to fix?
Humza Yousaf
Scottish National Party
Let me make a couple of observations on the member’s remarks.
First, I remind the member that the devolution of British Transport Police was the result of the Smith commission agreement that all parties reached by coming together in consensus. [
Interruption
.] Ah, the Conservatives do not like that very much, and they will not like my second point, either.
I was looking through the consultation responses to the bill that we have introduced, desperately looking for the alternative that the Conservatives are proposing, and I could not find any consultation response whatever from the Conservatives.
We are ensuring that the British Transport Police has the same level of accountability to this Parliament as Police Scotland has—previously, BTP has not had that. In the interests of being constructive, I say to Mr Kerr that if he would like to join in my next meeting with rail operators—yesterday I met Assistant Chief Constable Higgins of Police Scotland, and the British Transport Police—he will be more than welcome to do so. He will very soon find that his characterisation of their view on British Transport Police integration is not their view at all.
I ask Liam Kerr to be constructive, to come forward with alternative proposals and to have a conversation with rail operators, when he will find that the way in which he characterised their view is not how they view integration at all.
Kenneth Gibson
Scottish National Party
Will the Minister confirm that integration of the British Transport Police will mean a more efficient and effective service and that rather than people occasionally having to wait for a considerable time for BTP colleagues, local police officers will be able to be drafted in much more quickly to deal with crimes on our railway network?
Also, the minister touched on this in his earlier answer, but is he not surprised at the Tories? If the Tories in this place are so opposed to the measure, why were their Westminster colleagues so keen to devolve it?
Humza Yousaf
Scottish National Party
The UK Government is looking at the integration of the British Transport Police with other infrastructure authorities south of the border. An announcement has not been made on that yet, but I assume that the Conservatives in this chamber will be as vocal in their Opposition to that as they seem to be to our plans.
At the Justice Committee on Tuesday, ACC Higgins gave an absolute assurance that the expertise that we know the British Transport Police has will be maintained in the railway policing Division in Police Scotland. The expertise that has been gained over many years will be protected, as will the funding that goes to the British Transport Police, and there is a triple-lock guarantee on jobs, pensions and pay. As Kenneth Gibson says, the safety of the commuters and passengers who use our railways is paramount in the Government’s mind and in the minds of Police Scotland and the British Transport Police.
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