Never Off Duty

The British Transport Police (BTP) Federation has commissioned a powerful new film to expose the relentless and often traumatic reality officers face while policing Britain's rail network. Non-Stop is an urgent bid to the government to improve working conditions, support and pay for frontline police officers.

BTP officers cover more than 10,000 miles of track and over 3,000 stations across England, Scotland and Wales. The film moves beyond the everyday image of a police presence on the platform to show what officers actually face: missing children, violent passengers, people in crisis, and the devastating aftermath of fatalities.

Stuart Cowan, Chair of BTP Federation, says: "This campaign is about recognising the extraordinary breadth of what my colleagues are asked to deal with. They bring professionalism and humanity to a role that so often takes a huge physical and emotional toll. This story will resonate with the officers we represent, because they have all lived a version of it."

Non-Stop depicts a job with no let-up. The film follows an officer through the kind of shift the public rarely sees. One incident closes only for another to open, with no time built in to recover between them.

"BTP officers work across a vast, complex and constantly moving environment. They deal with everything from public safety and vulnerability to violence, sexual offences and the distressing consequences of fatalities on the railway,” Stuart Cowan explains. “Non-Stop captures the unpredictability of a shift and the pace officers are working at.”

The film also confronts what happens when the shift ends, but the impact doesn't. Repeated exposure to violence, abuse and trauma leaves its mark on officers.

“Demand continues to rise, morale continues to fall, and colleagues are burning out. We’re seeing colleagues leave the force, with some walking away from policing entirely,” Stuart Cowan says.

“If we want officers to still be doing this job in ten years' time - experienced, fit and well, and proud to wear the uniform – things have to change. Policing carries a level of risk that most professions simply don't. An officer who deals with violence, trauma and danger as a routine part of their working day should have that reflected in how they are paid and protected.”

Non-Stop is a call for recognition by the government and the wider public of the job BTP officers do and what that job asks of them. Recognition that the people who spend their working lives protecting and supporting others deserve to be protected and supported too.

Stuart explains: “BTP officers will always be there for the public, non-stop, whatever the shift throws at them. I hope this film gives politicians and the public a renewed appreciation for the officers they see on their journey, the officers who are there to protect them, because they do an extraordinary job.” 

Non-Stop was launched on 23 September at BTP Federation’s annual conference in Glasgow.

Watch and share Non-Stop at wwwbtpfnonstop.co.uk