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British Transport Police’s (BTP) 61016 text service is now free across all UK mobile networks.
BTP was the first police force to offer a non-emergency text service for reporting crime and incidents on the railway, when it launched the service in 2013.
The 61016 service provides a crucial reporting tool should victims need to contact BTP quickly and discreetly, even if they find themselves in a confined space with their perpetrator.
However, BTP received some complaints about people being charged to text 61016 or being unable to contact BTP due to low or no phone credit.
Earlier this year, BTP Chief Constable Lucy D’Orsi wrote to the four major phone networks in the UK, requesting they consider making the 61016 text service free to their customers. Three UK, Vodafone, O2 and EE all pledged to make this change, with the smaller networks starting to follow suit.
“I am incredibly proud of this collaborative piece of work that will support BTP’s mission to protect the rail community and create a hostile environment for crime.
“BTP’s 61016 service is a hugely important crime reporting tool for the most vulnerable who travel and work on the rail network. Now that 61016 is free-to-text, anyone who is a victim of crime can contact BTP immediately, regardless of any restrictions on their phone contract or whether they have phone credit.
“61016 is particularly crucial to women and girls using the rail network and may feel harassed or intimidated. The number of non-contact sexual offences reported to BTP have almost doubled in the last two years, with many of those reports texted via 61016 and where a noticeable 999 call may have escalated the situation.”
Lucy D’Orsi, BTP Chief Constable
Since the launch of 61016, BTP has apprehended numerous criminals, secured countless convictions, made life saving interventions, disrupted serious organised crime and even dismantled county lines operations all thanks to intelligence submitted via the text-reporting service.
In addition to its 61016 text service, BTP also has a free Railway Guardian app, which offers a range of different methods for reporting crime, including anonymously via Crimestoppers.
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