On Monday 18^th July 2022 BTPHG and BTP signed a Memorandum of Understanding outlining the relationship between the group and the force. It marks an important stage in the development of the BTPHG and comes about after years of work by members of the group (and especially the founding members) to demonstrate to the force that BTPHG is a serious partner when it comes to preserving the history of railway, dock and canal policing. The MOU covers issues such as the provision of accommodation for our archive, joint working with BTP Records Management and Learning and Development departments and how data will be handled. The Chief Constable was very open to the creation of an MOU and ensured that discussions about the content were speedily processed. We are especially grateful to the Chief of Staff at FHQ (Steff Sharp) for all her work to get a form of words that is both meaningful and helpful. More information will appear in the next edition of History Lines.

Philip Trendall (Chair)

 

BTPHG comment on the news item shown below:

Our history is a proud one but, like all forces there are parts of our past we wish hadn’t happened.  The impact of police corruption has a very long shadow. The activities of Ridgewell and his associates represent a low point in our history. The BTPHG has worked to uncover historical records that expose such crimes and will continue to do so. The efforts of BTP to confront the past and to deal with its legacy have the full support of the BTPHG.

 

News Report – shown as reported:

A bursary for black students studying law is being established by the British Transport Police (BTP) to make amends for the actions of a corrupt detective more than 50 years ago, The Telegraph reports.

The scheme, to be launched next year, follows an apology from the BTP to a group of men who were wrongfully convicted in 1972 of attempting to rob an officer – Det Sgt Derek Ridgewell, head of the force’s anti-mugging squad.

He had been linked to a number of miscarriages of justice against young black men and was later convicted of stealing mailbags.

In December 2019, four men, who were known as the Oval Four, had their convictions for stealing handbags on the London Underground quashed.

Another group of the corrupt detective’s victims, the Stockwell Six, had their convictions, from 1972, quashed on appeal.

The force has said it will now use the money from the Proceeds of Crime Act to fund a bursary to help a British African undertake a law degree.

Lucy D’Orsi, Chief Constable of BTP, said: “Last year we issued an apology for the trauma suffered by the British African community through the criminal actions of former police officer Derek Ridgewell, who worked at BTP in the 1960s and 1970s.

“His inexcusable actions led to the conviction of innocent people and do not define the BTP today. It is important to do more than simply apologise and commit to learning from our past.

“We want to bring about real and meaningful change – improving community trust and confidence, whilst investing in future talent. This bursary aims to ensure that British African communities are better represented within the UK judicial system, which will benefit us all.”

 

Source: Scottish Legal News

H/T to John Owen for spotting this item.

 

On Wednesday, 29th June 2022, the BTPHG had an online presentation, delivered via ZOOM. This is the second time we have used video conferencing for BTPHG presentations, so this continues to be something of an experiment. If this is considered a success we will run other sessions on matters connected with the history of policing the railways, canals and docks of Great Britain. We have a number of potential speakers lined up and we hope that video conferencing will enable us to better engage with our members and others interested in our history.

This time the presenter was our past Chair(man) Viv Head, with one of his specialist subjects: Policing the Docks in South Wales.

A video recording of the presentation is available here: Policing the Docks: Cardiff & South Wales

 
 

Congratulations to Keith Jarrett and Barry Boffy on being appointed as Members of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE).

They have been entered into the Honours, Decorations and Medals table.

 

Former London-based BTP Officer Keith Jarrett, now working as a Communications Officer in BTP’s London control room, was recognised for his work towards increasing diversity and confidence in policing for BTP’s employees and building trust with local communities and ethnic minority groups. He was also commended for his bravery when responding to numerous major incidents during his 28-year career in policing.

 

Former BTP Head of Inclusion & Diversity (and BTPHG member), Barry Boffy, has been recognised for his outstanding commitment and actions in improving policing legitimacy, as well as striving for better representation and understanding of employees from diverse backgrounds and varied communities within the force.

 

Read about their achievements and work on the BTP website.

Also see Keith Jarrett’s profile, and Barry Boffy’s article on the history of the LGBT+ Support Group

A piece of history this week.

British Transport Police  are the first police force in the UK to deploy special constabulary officers (“Specials”) in England and Wales with Taser devices.

On Friday 27 May, some BTP Specials were on duty across the country carrying Taser to further assist them in keeping the public, rail staff and themselves safe. The rollout comes as the force responds to risks around terrorism, public safety and public order offences across the railway. The first cohort of 22 Specials have all successfully completed a three-day training course on the device’s use alongside Police Constables.

Special Chief Officer (and BTPHG member), Ben Clifford, said: “I’m delighted that we are able to be the first force in the country to operationally deploy Specials equipped with Taser. Our Specials are exposed to the exact same risks as regular officers and are a vital part of our frontline workforce. Allowing them to carry the device is a positive step both in recognising the skills and competence of our part-time, volunteer officers and further strengthens our commitment to ensuring the railway is a safe environment for passengers and rail workers.

“We regularly deal with incidents a considerable distance from back-up in remote locations, and Taser has a critical place in protecting the public and officers as a less lethal device. Around one third of BTP officers are trained to carry Tasers and our Specials have received same comprehensive training as regular officers.”

 

Source: BTP

H/T to Bill Rogerson for spotting this story.

 

This week saw the 20th anniversary (10th May 2002) of the railway accident at Potters Bar. This horrific incident killed seven people and injured more than 70 others.

BTP officers and staff attended in large numbers. Many of those in attendance were veterans of earlier major incidents and terrorist attacks and many went on to attend further large incidents in the years that followed.

The work of the officers at the scene and during the subsequent investigation received considerable, and well-deserved praise. The liaison with other agencies, including the Hertfordshire Constabulary and Her Majesty’s Railway Inspectorate was first class.

BTP officers were on scene very quickly. The early declaration of a Major Incident by Hertfordshire meant that everybody was aware of the scale of what had happened. Control of the inner cordon and crime scene was passed to the force very quickly.

Considerable support was given by other forces and by what is now the College of Policing. Sue Maxfield, the force welfare officer, led the arrangements for the welfare of officers. BTP Health and Safety officers and the force/railway chaplains helped as the incident extended over several days. There was extensive involvement with the local community.

Officers in command roles included A/CI Mick Burnham, Insp Paul Hatton, Supt Tony McDonnel, CI John O’Donnel, Ch Supt Peter Hilton, Insp Duncan Manners and Ch Supt David Hatcher and many others. Supt Paul Crowther and DI Alistair Lawson were key figures in the investigation. As always, the BTP POLSAs and search teams did great work, as did those who worked on Family Liaison with the Hertfordshire Constabulary. The Control Room and Scientific Support performed to a very high standard.

Network Rail were convicted of Health and Safety failings nine years later and were fined £3M.

There was a service at a local church on the anniversary: 10th May 2022, The Church of Our Lady and St Vincent, Potters Bar, Herts.

Phil Trendall (Chair)

 

Note:
Many BTP officers were involved in the response to this major incident. The names given above are from the memory of one BTPHG member and represents a fraction of the complete list. We wish to increase our record of these major events. Official histories often miss out, or under represent, the role played by BTP. If you were a serving officer or member of police staff and were involved in any major incident, including Potters Bar, during your service please consider committing your memories to paper. Your accounts of what actually happened on the ground, including what affect it had on you will help future generations understand the work of the BTP in the second half of the 20th and early 21st centuries. We exist to preserve our history and, as we all know, witness evidence is amongst the best there is. Anything you produce can be kept in our archive collections.

On Friday 29th April 2022, a plaque was unveiled to commemorate those who died at York Railway Station during the Baedeker Air Raid eighty years ago.

PC Robert Smith and William Milner (Station Foreman) are named on the plaque.

After the unveiling a service involved a speech by the managing director of LNER, a poem read by Inspector Mary-Anne Snowden (BTP York), a biography of those who died was given by John Shaw of the Raids Over York project, and a poem read by Ken Cooke, a Normandy veteran.

The event involved the York Civic Trust, London and North Eastern Railway, and the Raids Over York heritage project.

The Sheriff of York and the Lord Mayor of York were also in attendance.

 

In 2017, on the 75th anniversary, the History Group held a memorial tribute to PC Robert Smith at his gravesite. The tribute was attended by members of his family.

Robert, aged 64 years, was killed during the early hours of the morning of the 29th April 1942, during the biggest raid by the Luftwaffe carried out on York in World War Two. He was on duty in the police office when it took a direct hit.

 

BBC Yorkshire also covered the event on their website:
Tributes mark 80th anniversary of York Baedeker raid

Also see the BTPHG Second World War Roll of Honour.

Sources include the Railway Heritage Trust and the York Civic Trust Twitter feeds.
H/T to John Owen and Tony Haigh for spotting this.

 

 

The Police Foundation is organising an online seminar on the topic of police history. It will discuss the nature and impact of police history as a field of study, the relationship between the police service and historical research and the role that historians play in comparable professional fields. It will discuss what can be done to strengthen the role that police history plays in shaping, contextualising and informing public policy discussion on policing, as well as the profession’s own understanding of its role in society.

The event is free. For those interested more information can be found at the link below:

Condemned to repeat it: Why policing should take its own history seriously

The Police Foundation is the only independent think tank focused exclusively on improving policing and developing knowledge and understanding of policing and crime reduction. Its mission is to generate evidence and develop ideas which deliver better policing and a safer society. Producing trusted, impartial research and by working with the police and their partners to create change.

The Police Foundation has been added to our links page.