British Transport Police cuts could leave thousands of children at risk of exploitation
BTP plays a crucial role in protecting vulnerable children on the rail network. In light of upcoming large-scale cuts to British Transport Police services, Railway Children highlights the force’s essential role in keeping vulnerable children and young people safe on the UK’s railways.
Children at risk on the railways
Around 10,000 children and young people are identified as being vulnerable on the UK railway every year, British Transport Police (BTP) data show*. Many are escaping abuse, neglect, or family conflict. Others have been groomed or coerced into transporting drugs for County Lines gangs.
It is estimated that around 46,000 children are involved in gangs across the UK – but there are likely many more.**
Children who spend a lot of time in public spaces, like train stations, face various risks, including:
- Criminal exploitation
- Sexual exploitation
- Financial exploitation
- County lines
- Trafficking
- Modern slavery
Our vital partnership with BTP
Our mission is to safeguard children at risk of being lost to the street, by empowering families, communities and partners to create lasting change, ensuring every child can reach their full potential.
Our partnership with British Transport Police (BTP) is integral to our work keeping children and vulnerable adults safe across the UK’s railways.
BTP refer young people to us who have been found to be at risk along the railway. We provide each young person with bespoke support, tackling the root causes of their struggles to prevent them running away and coming to any harm.
BTP’s integral role in child protection
BTP makes a crucial contribution to protecting all passengers on the rail network, particularly those most at risk, such as children. The force’s many responsibilities include:
- Child protection and safeguarding – BTP officers are trained to identify and protect children at risk of exploitation, abuse, or neglect. They work closely with social services and charities to intervene when necessary.
- Tackling County Lines and exploitation – BTP is at the forefront of disrupting County Lines, which exploit and groom vulnerable children and adults to transport drugs across the rail network.
- Protecting vulnerable adults – BTP works with support services to offer assistance and prevent harm, including suicide prevention initiatives. This includes people at risk of harm due to mental health issues, homelessness, domestic abuse or substance misuse.
- Immediate response and intervention – BTP officers patrol stations and trains, responding to welfare concerns, missing persons reports, and safeguarding incidents in real time.
BTP cuts: Implications for the most vulnerable
The British Transport Police Authority has announced a £8.5m funding shortfall in its 2025-26 budget, which will lead to significant cuts to the force’s services.
While the scale of the proposed cuts is still under discussion, they will likely include the closure of dozens of BTP stations across England, Scotland and Wales, with a loss of nearly 300 jobs.
This will result in a reduced presence of officers in many stations, particularly in the North-West region, with potentially no presence at all between Preston and Scotland.
As BTP services are central to the safety of transport networks, Railway Children is concerned that an unintentional repercussion of the cuts could be a drop in the force’s capacity to effectively protect vulnerable people.
Rob Capener, Chief Executive of Railway Children Charity, said:
“Because we work so closely with BTP, we see how tirelessly they work, every day, to protect passengers from harm and look out for vulnerable people across the rail network.”
“If there are fewer officers available to respond to safeguarding concerns, it is inevitable that we will see an increase in vulnerable young people slipping through the net and missing out on the crucial support they need, when they need it.”
Rising violence: Passengers at risk
Last year, the number of assaults and instances of harassment on the railways hit a record 9,542.
While this figure may be partly attributed to higher rates of incident reporting, it is 50% higher than pre-pandemic levels***.
With cases of harassment and assault on the rise, children and vulnerable adults face more dangers on the network than even before.
On account of the upcoming nationalisation of the railways, we are asking the government to outline a funding formula to ensure BTP retains appropriate levels of funding, so that those most at risk continue to be protected from harm and provided with the support they need.
*British Transport Police
**County lines and child criminal exploitation, The Children’s Society
***Rail Safety, April 2023 to March 2024, Office of Rail and Road, Sept 2024.