BTPF History
Statutory Basis
It was not until the passing of the Railways Act in 1921, which created the big four railway companies (Great Western, London, Midland & Scottish, London & North Eastern and Southern) that the Federation was put on a statutory basis by providing that each company should establish a conference consisting of equal numbers of police and management to which all questions relating to pay, hours of duty and conditions of service should be referred.
However, this led to suspicion and hostility from company representatives, so the police Federation representatives, lacking real power, did not achieve success quickly.
The attitude of the railway companies persisted and it was not until 1927 that a starting rate of 70 shillings a week was agreed.
There were several outstanding men who became the driving force behind the Federation in those difficult years. These included Inspector R Garbutt (Great Northern) and Detective Chief Inspector George Mitchell (Great Eastern).
Previous | Next |