Complaints
If you want to make a complaint about the conduct of an
individual police officer, member of our staff or if you have
a general complaint about how we are
run, please complete our online complaints form
or contact us by post.
We would like to hear from you if:
- You were the person directly involved in an incident
- You witnessed an incident
- You were adversely affected by an incident
- You are representing a person directly involved in an incident
(as long as you have written consent)
Or if you have:
- An issue with our operational policing policies (where there is
no issue of conduct)
- An issue with our organisational decisions
- A general policing standards complaint within the Force
- Operational management decisions (where there is no issue of
conduct)

Complain by post
If you prefer to contact us in writing about a complaint
against an individual please include the following
information together with your name and contact details:
- What happened
- When it happened
- Where it happened
- Who was involved
- What was said or done
- Whether there were witnesses and how they can be contacted
- Details of any damage or injury
If you prefer to contact us in writing regarding a general
complaint, include the general issue which you would like to make
the complaint about and send it together with your name and contact
details.
Please send all complaints to:
Professional Standards Department
British Transport Police
25 Camden Road
London
NW1 9LN
Alternatively call 0207 830 8828 for more information.
Complaints about individuals
Handling your complaint
We take an open and honest approach to policing the railways and
strive to maintain the highest professional standards.
All complaints are taken very seriously. Our Professional
Standards department (PSD) investigates complaints thoroughly,
efficiently and impartially.
Under the Police Reform Act 2002, if a member of the public
complains about an individual in our Force, we must respond to
complaints following strict guidelines.
PSD assigns each public complaint to an investigating officer, or
in less serious cases, refers the matter to the local police
operational area to deal with. In certain cases the matter is
referred to the Independent
Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) which may decide to
investigate themselves.
Investigators will submit a report with recommendations to the head
of investigations within PSD and a decision is made in light of
these recommendations. In criminal cases PSD refers the case to the
Crown Prosecution Service, or in Scotland, the Procurator
Fiscal.
PSD is overseen by external organisations to ensure the highest
standards are maintained. These are: British Transport Police
Authority Professional Standards Committee, IPCC, Police Investigations & Review
Commissioner (PIRC) and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of
Constabulary.
You can also register your complaint directly with IPCC, PIRC or the British Transport Police
Authority.
General complaints
Handling your complaint
The Chief Constable and the British Transport Police Authority
are responsible for dealing with complaints about the direction and
control of the Force.
All complaints are recorded and sent to the chief officer or
another individual acting on their behalf.
We will send the complainant a formal letter explaining the
decision we make as a result of our investigation in to the issue
raised.
We may invite you to a meeting so we can give you a full
explanation of the decision.
We cannot pass sensitive information on to the complainant.
Timings for complaints
We will handle complaints within 28 days of receiving them. If
we need to review one of our policies as a result of the complaint,
then this may affect the time taken to reply.
We will keep you informed throughout the process and let you
know of any developments in the investigation.
Information about complaints
Our performance is continually monitored by the British
Transport Police Authority (BTPA). Four times a year, we give BTPA
information about the complaints we receive to ensure our services
are improved where necessary.