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RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: jan/feb 2026 :: RMTnews
10
RMT has slammed a decision
by the British Transport Police
Authority (BTPA) to back a
three-year funding deal that
will leave BTP facing frontline
cuts, creating a less safe
railway.
The Authority voted
through uplifts of eight per
cent in 2026/27, five per cent
in 2027/28 and just one per
cent in 2028/29.
BTP made clear in the
meeting that the third-year
settlement creates a £2 million
hole in its budget and would
force reductions in headcount,
mainly in frontline roles.
When BTP ran visible
evening patrols at Kings Cross
and St Pancras for three weeks
in autumn 2025, staff assaults
dropped by 59 per cent,
violence by 21 per cent,
public-order incidents by 41
per cent and shoplifting by 25
per cent.
Rail unions and the TUC
wrote to all Authority members
ahead of the meeting, warning
that any further loss of
headcount would be
BTP CUTS MEAN
JOB LOSSES
Police funding continues to fall while staff
assaults steadily rise