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BTP FEDERATION WELCOME MINISTER'S FIREARMS ANNOUNCEMENT
24th May 2011
The chairman of the British Transport Police Federation, Alex Robertson, has welcomed today's Parliamentary announcement by the Transport Secretary Philip Hammond that the BTP is to get its own armed police capability. The BTP has over 2,800 officers policing the railways, stations and associated property.
Alex Robertson said that the news was a realistic assessment of the level of terrorist threat facing the public and the transport infrastructure. "It is also recognition of the overall professionalism of the BTP as it increases the role that this specialist police service can play with its own officers providing armed response units.
"It means that we will have greater flexibility in how we deploy and at the same time we will no longer be drawing on the resources of other police forces. In the current climate and in the run-up to the Olympic Games it makes enormous sense."
ENDS
For further information please contact: Alex Robertson at 07880504023 or Alan Burnside at 07501501897
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