Our community volunteer scheme
The support, knowledge and
experience our volunteers offer our police officers
and staff ensures that organisational capabilities, performance and
core policing work is carried out to a high standard. They also
provide the highest level of service to the public, add to the
diversity of our workforce and help us see things from a different
perspective. They are vital.
Why should I be a community volunteer with British
Transport Police?
When you volunteer with us, you’ll become part of our team and
learn how a national, specialised police force works. In return,
we’ll help you gain valuable skills and provide you with
training.
By volunteering with us you can -
- Gain new skills and experiences – we do our
best to help you develop the skills you want. Our varied roles
allow you the chance to gain a broad skill set.
- Use your skills and experience – while
learning new skills you can keep your existing skill set up to
date. We'll try and find a role that uses your skills to their
maximum potential.
Enhance your CV – most employers see
volunteering as an essential component of any CV. Volunteering also
gives you strong examples that can be valuable in
interviews.
- Make a difference to your community –
volunteers help us make the railways safer. You
will have the chance to work on community initiatives that can
be very rewarding.
- Meet new people – you will meet and work
with a range of police officers and staff who will welcome you
into the team and help you with your role.
- Gain an insight into BTP – whether you are
interested in a career with us or want to learn more
about what we do, volunteering allows you to see ‘behind the
scenes’.
Being a volunteer is a very rewarding experience. Hear more from
some of our
volunteers about how they make the difference.
How to apply
If you’re enthusiastic and want to make a positive
contribution:
-
Find a role you would like to apply for.
- When you find a role, call 020 7521 6860
An advisor will send you an application form and invite you for
an interview to discuss your skills, experience and why you would
like to volunteer with us. This will help us identify a suitable
volunteer role for you and you can ask questions. If we
have no available or suitable roles we will keep your application
on file.
We carry out vetting including checks for any
criminal records and financial difficulty due to the nature of our
work. You must have been resident in the UK for at least three
years before you apply to be able to complete
this.
When you start
After the recruitment and vetting process, you'll be ready
to volunteer with us.
We will provide you with -
- BTP volunteer induction - an overview of
the organisation, our visions and values. Including an online
induction and an invite to a group induction day. This should take
place within three months of starting with us.
- Support - you'll be introduced to a volunteer
facilitator who will ensure you are happy in your role and you have
everything you need.
- Training - depending on your role you may
be offered specific training to help you gain more knowledge or
expertise.
- Development - we aim to make volunteering
fulfilling and challenging and we will help you with your
development as much as we can. This includes regular development
days for volunteers providing information on BTP initiatives and an
opportunity to meet other volunteers from across the force.
- Recognition - we appreciate everyone who
donates their time to us and we arrange annual divisional and
national award ceremonies to recognise this dedication.
- Reimbursement of out of pocket expenses -
we will reimburse reasonable travel expense depending on your hours
of volunteering, we may provide a subsistence payment.
What we expect
If you are successful in becoming a volunteer with us we would
expect you to -
- Volunteer hours – complete a minimum of
eight hours a month for six months. You are
of course welcome to complete more hours and stay with us much
longer!
- Recording volunteer hours – record your
volunteering hours regularly via an electronic system that can be
accessed from home as well as from a force computer.
- Adhere to Force policy and procedures – as a
volunteer representing us we expect you to be professional and
follow our values and standards of behaviour.