Actions following report of possible criminal activity - British Transport Police, November 2017
On 3 November 2017, a woman boarded a cross-country train and took a seat near a man who was engaged in a video call. The woman formed the impression from his conversation that he was talking to a school-aged girl, and was arranging to meet her for the first time in Scotland. The conversation included remarks of a sexual nature, which caused her concern.
When she got off the train at Bristol Temple Meads Station, she approached two British Transport Police (BTP) officers and informed them of her concerns. One of the officers passed the information to the BTP Control Room, and an officer later checked the train at Cheltenham Spa Station, but could not find the suspect. Officers finally located the man at Birmingham New Street Station and spoke with him. He gave a name (which transpired to be false), and claimed he was meeting his daughter in Scotland. The officers allowed him to continue his journey.
Subsequent enquiries established that the suspect was a convicted sex offender, who had given false details to the officers. Further attempts were made to locate the suspect, without success.
At approximately 12.39pm on 5 November 2017, an anonymous caller (later identified as the suspect) informed Police Scotland that a 14-year-old girl had made allegations of sexual abuse. Trained officers and social workers interviewed the girl, and she disclosed that she had engaged in sexual intercourse with the suspect.
At 9.50pm on the same day, Police Scotland officers located and arrested the suspect. He was subsequently convicted of child sex offences and sentenced to four-and-a-half years’ imprisonment.
Our investigators obtained accounts from the officers involved, and obtained and reviewed police incident logs, radio transmissions and body-worn camera footage.
Based on the evidence available, we were of the opinion that all seven officers involved had made honest mistakes, in good faith, while trying to perform their duties to the best of their abilities. The evidence indicated that they had reflected on their performance and learned from their errors.
In light of the serious consequences of this incident, we recommended that BTP give careful consideration to learning that could be drawn from this incident, and performance action, so that officers fully understand their powers and responsibilities, and the potential for serious harm to ensue if reports of concern are not handled appropriately.
We completed our investigation in December 2018.
After reviewing our report, BTP agreed with our findings. The force advised that two officers who had failed to obtain a detailed first account and a contact number from the reporting witness would receive personalised action plans, formalised with their area champions and shared with the Professional Standards Department. One of the two officers left the force, so no further action was taken.
The force also agreed that the two officers who failed to sufficiently probe the suspect or to undertake sufficient checks to confirm his name or address should be given individual action plans to manage their performance and identify clearly the areas of learning. As one of the officers had since resigned from the force, no further action could be taken against them.
BTP confirmed that they had already implemented learning from this case during our investigation by launching a sustained campaign and briefing around professional curiosity and seeking greater clarity of information. This included briefings to force control room staff, which were delivered nationally.
The force is also reviewing resourcing in its learning and development department. BTP is planning to pilot a dedicated development unit, where professional and up-skilled development officers will support new officers to enhance their policing experience and practical application of the law. The force confirmed that learning from this incident is utilised during tutor constable training.