Our community volunteer scheme

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.