British Transport Police Employee Reviews
Review this companyJob Title
All
Location
United Kingdom107 reviews
Sort by
Found 107 reviews matching the searchSee all 111 reviews
Special Constable
Special Constable (Former Employee) - London, Greater London - 25 March 2021
Indeed featured review
The most useful review selected by IndeedI left BTP as a London based Special earlier this year and I will have fond memories of policing around London and out in the counties. Many specials join as a stepping stone to become a full time officer, but for me it was just for policing experience. BTP did help my CV in getting a job on the railways and I have come across many regulars who have left to join the railways (a very common thing) as BTP is a close working partner of Train operating companies. I have noticed that Specials are being used more to backfill the lack of regular officers at stations, so we are being asked to do more and more. Nearly all my shifts over-run and the regulars are always grateful for our help. Juggling a full time job (40hrs a week) as a well as Special duties (min 16hrs a month) you need to be careful you dont suffer from burnout.The only main negative is some regular police officers tend to be not very welcoming to Specials, this tends to be out in the counties /further out. I would encourage anyone to join up as a special to gain insight into policing and also you will see another side of life, when dealing with suspects / vulnerable people.
Pros
Exposure to policing, specialised police force, oyster card
Cons
Juggling two jobs, challenging shifts, not enough training for specials and some negative attitudes of regulars towards specials
Was this review helpful?
Rail Secuirty Guard with Police powers
Police Officer (Former Employee) - Liverpool, Merseyside - 12 May 2021
Do not join this force, you will spend 90% of your time stood like a traffic cone at railway stations. HVP- High visibility Patrol is all you'll do, any incidents that happen, you'll call in the police force from the local area because your not trusted to deal with it yourself. You'll feel like a security guard in Police uniform. Some people like standing around feeling important, I'd rather be dealing with incidents and helping the public. Hence why I left and join a real police force. If your a train spotter then maybe you'll enjoy it, if not join your local force not BTP. You'll thank me later. Plus the management in BTP are awful, want you to drop your life for overtime shifts beacuse the footballs on.
Pros
Get paid on time
Cons
Glorified security guard, management team, shift pattern
Was this review helpful?
An excellent work area
Police Officer (Former Employee) - Hull and Immingham - 31 March 2021
I enjoyed everyday working as a police officer at British Transport Police. The people I worked with were a great crowd and we were looked after by out bosses.
Pros
Free train travel
Cons
Shift system
Was this review helpful?
BTP (Big top productions)
Police Officer (Former Employee) - North West - 3 December 2020
The force is corrupt from top to bottom, no support what so ever, basically a glorified security guard for the railway. If you’re not bothered about family and friends join this circus if you want to see your family then don’t, the hours are shocking. What ever you do don’t get a complaint as they will do there best to throw the book at you for there own career progression. Stay clear, the chief constable over the last few years has destroyed the circus.
Pros
Free train travel
Cons
Corruption
Was this review helpful?
Great variety
Police Officer (Former Employee) - Wigan - 5 November 2020
Enjoyed the different aspects of Policing the railway. No different to Home Office Policing as I previously did. Down side cancelled rest days at very short notice. Sometimes felt that they were going through the motions regarding welfare and support.I miss the banter with colleagues
Was this review helpful?
Best work placement ever
Volunteer (Former Employee) - Southampton - 10 October 2020
Loved working for the Transport Police and always seeking ways of returning. Staff are all knowledgeable and helpful and have a great respect for employees at all levels
Was this review helpful?
Awful place to work
Officer (Former Employee) - England - 8 October 2020
Single crewed most of the time which is lonely and soul destroying, back up often can be miles away especially in rural areas which pose a threat to officer safety. continuously relying on home office forces to help you out and back you up at jobs often end up working overtime to complete jobs/ when people are in custody which can end up being at work for 15 hours plus never anyone to relieve/ take over from a job hence the long hours. salary is good but not worth it for the stuff you put up with, be prepared to literally give up your life for BTP and say goodbye to your social life. training school is stressful with continuous exams which just isn’t necessary, training school staff are awful and unapproachable ,accommodation for training school is shocking numerous reports of rats and nothing done about it massive health and safety risk. Took over a year to hire me as there was no vacancies where i live, this was not explained to me during the interview process, HR was very unhelpful with the process which nearly resulted in me pulling my application. Would prefer to work in a home office force where you know people have your back when you need it.
Pros
Okay salary
Cons
Long hours/ no work life balance
Was this review helpful?
Good Experience
Special Constable - Voluntary (Former Employee) - London - 6 October 2020
Excellent opportunity to give back to the community. Fantastic experience that l gained a lot of experience from, such as communication skills, handling conflicts and the pressure in addition to working as a solid team.
Pros
Free travel when on duty
Cons
Night shifts
Was this review helpful?
Terrible place.
Police Community Support Officer (Former Employee) - London, Greater London - 11 September 2020
Institutionally racist company for blacks and brown people. If you are white you fit right in like a glove and can get away with abusing your brown colleagues.
Pros
Prestige
Cons
institutionally Racist.
Was this review helpful?
Organisation in chaos
Sergeant (Former Employee) - West Midlands - 6 August 2020
This organisation has slipped into a bureaucratic mess where officers spend most of their time sat behind a computer doing paperwork rather than being pro active on the beat detecting and preventing crime.Officer employed by the Force with a completely unsuitable background to be a police officer.Officers not reporting an officers inappropriate association as required.
Pros
Employment stability/security
Cons
Poor shift pattern unsupportive management
Was this review helpful?
Jobs at British Transport Police
Wouldn’t recommend
Constable (Former Employee) - North East - 2 August 2020
This is great organisation which was badly managed with little concern for work life balance Rest days a weekends off we’re constantly cancelled due to football and public order priorities Salary is poor until you gain a few years in role I was always working alone on single patrol
Policy card
Patrol
Pros
Job security
Cons
Shifts time off
Was this review helpful?
Slow paced at times but can be stressful
Communications Officer (Current Employee) - Birmingham, West Midlands - 23 July 2020
Stressful at times and not a good work life balance and some bullying in the work place.
Good rates of pay however can be confusing on four weekly pay just something to keep in mind,Welfare is not great and management are not supportive in the slightest.
Pros
Pay
Cons
Work life balance
Was this review helpful?
Poor Employmer
British Transport Police Constable (Former Employee) - London, Greater London - 15 July 2020
After joining the BTP in 2003 I was discriminated by the force 3 years later after applying for a Specialist role which I was more than qualified for. Systemic Racism.
Pros
Good training
Cons
Promotion discrimination
Was this review helpful?
10 years experience as civilian/support staff
Civilian/Support staff (Current Employee) - London, Greater London - 23 June 2020
Appalling place to work - worst management I have ever seen. There is no acknowledgement whatsoever of people's existing skills, their need/desire for development, or their potential. Blatant favouritism demonstrated. If you're thinking of applying for a job here, please don't - there are so many better employers out there.
Pros
None
Cons
Everything
Was this review helpful?
It was the sort of work I was looking for at the time
Database Administration (Former Employee) - London - 20 May 2020
I enjoyed working with the people and the work was what I wanted to do at the time. They were flexible about the number of hours and start and finish times.
Pros
Conveniently located
Cons
Not well paid and they tend to assume that people with skills are the same as those without.
Was this review helpful?
Great career choice
Facilities Assistant (Former Employee) - Camden Town, Greater London - 8 May 2020
Great friendly environment to work for very stressful job fast paced great diversity great prospects pension available uniform provided for certain jobs.
Pros
Great government benefits
Cons
Night shifts 12 hours
Was this review helpful?
Excellent police force
Detective Constable (Former Employee) - Birmingham, West Midlands - 28 April 2020
I had an Absolutely fabulous and varied career with British transport police. I did every course I ever needed to help with my role. I did almost 40 years on the frontline.
If you work hard and show promise they will give you all the tools you need for a long a successful career.
Was this review helpful?
Terrible Employer
Police Constable (Former Employee) - Manchester, Greater Manchester - 13 April 2020
The culture that exists within BTP is that of corrosive bullying and harassment. From what I witnessed with each new intake they pick out one or two individuals to pick on and criticise at every opportunity as a direct warning to others to toe the party line, The training is OK but intensive and quite stressful. You are constantly monitored throughout your training and your tutor con can either endorse you or shoot you down in flames for the slightest mistake,The hours and work life balance is frankly terrible, the shifts patterns are long and monotonous with endless dull paperwork to complete. You are openly encouraged to forget your former life and friends and join the so called 'BTP family' therefore living and breathing your job.The bullying and small mindedness is on a par with the worst school bullying imaginable. I was off work sick for 3 day (the only time I was off on sick leave) and the other PC's on my shift actually knocked at my home address to check my sickness was genuine, disgusting. I thankfully resigned after 2 years in the job and have to put it down as by far the worst experience in my life which took me many years to get over. I wasn't alone in this as I met many other serving BTP officers who detested the depressing culture of the job but were reliant on the reasonable wage due to personal circumstances. If you are looking for a job as a Police Officer I would steer anybody away from this dreadful organisation and join one of the far superior county forces.
Was this review helpful?
Knowledge of law highly required
Police National Computer (PNC) & Records Officer, Justice Dept (Former Employee) - Birmingham - 1 March 2020
. This is a performance related pay employment
. Whatever the work role, time management is needed
. Pension is very good
. There is plenty of training depending on work role
Was this review helpful?
Enjoy the role
Health and Safety Advisor (Current Employee) - London, Greater London - 18 February 2020
A busy role, with opportunities. It is country wide so there is travelling involved. People are mostly friendly. I enjoy my role, but appreciate it may not be everyones view.
Was this review helpful?
motivating environment, working with some great people.
Career Development & Talent Team Leader (Former Employee) - Camden Town, Greater London - 5 February 2020
Enjoyed working there, work was varied opportunity to develop and be proactive. Can be slow to get decisions on actions to be taken and internal politics can be overwhelming. It is a hierarchical organisation but can push through this. There are opportunities to progress if want to. Will go through a vigorous screening process took 3 months from successful interview to final offer
Was this review helpful?
Want to know more about working here?
Ask a question about working or interviewing at British Transport Police. Our community is ready to answer.Ask a QuestionOverall rating
3.5
5
26
4
42
3
17
2
11
1
15
Ratings by category
3.0Work/Life Balance
3.6Salary/Benefits
3.4Job security/advancement
3.0Management
3.3Culture
Compare British Transport Police with
Questions about British Transport Police
- Does British Transport Police require pre-employment background checks? What kind of background chec…5 people answered
- What is the most stressful part about working at British Transport Police?4 people answered
- Are there any specific qualifications required to join the British Transport Police? I checked the w…3 people answered
- How are the working hours at British Transport Police?3 people answered
- If you were to leave British Transport Police, what would be the reason?2 people answered
- Any tips on interview questions for communication officer and how hard is the interview?2 people answered
- How do you feel about going to work at British Transport Police each day?2 people answered
- How did you feel about telling people you worked at British Transport Police?2 people answered
- How much training do you get before going “live” on calls ?2 people answered
- What is the interview process like at British Transport Police?2 people answered
British Transport Police Reviews by Job Title
British Transport Police Reviews by Location
- Companies
- British Transport Police
- Employee reviews