Determined, dedicated and brave British Transport Police officers have been honoured at the annual British Transport Police Federation Awards of Excellence.
This year the Federation introduced new categories and officers were invited to nominate colleagues they felt deserved the honour of Team of the Year, Cop of the Year, Special of the Year and Detective Investigation of the Year. The final winners chosen by a panel of Federation representatives and staff.
The winner of the fifth category, the Chair’s Award, was chosen by BTP Federation Chair, Stuart Cowan. The award enables him to highlight a significant achievement, and single out an individual or group who have dealt with a particularly challenging situation either on or off duty.
Chair of BTP Federation, Stuart Cowan, said: “Our colleagues consistently go above and beyond to protect the travelling public. They put themselves in harms’ way to keep others safe and leave no stone unturned in their pursuit of justice for victims of crime.
“Our annual awards allow us to put the spotlight on colleagues whose dedication to policing shines through. They are the best of us.”
The following officers received Awards of Excellence:
The Wessex Disruption Tasking Team won Team of the Year. The team works out of London Waterloo station and their role has seen them tackle everything from cable thefts to county lines offences, safeguarding vulnerable people and arresting suspects in the process. Over the last year, they have helped to achieve a 45% improvement in train delays due to cable theft incidents. PC George Philpot and T/Insp Rankaj Jassel from the team attended to collect their award.
PC Andrew Margerison and PC Marc Brooks were the joint winners of Cop of the Year. In February of this year, the two unarmed officers tackled a man who was reloading a gun, having fired it on a busy main road in Preston, Lancashire. The pair had been sitting in traffic when they heard a loud bang and saw a man run in front of their car holding a gun and trying to conceal it in his pocket. The officers arrested the man who later pleaded guilty to firearms offences and was sentenced to 27 months in prison.
Special Constable Harry Rawdon was presented with the Special of the Year award. Last year, the Hull-based volunteer volunteered more than 1200 hours over 130 shifts, during which he made arrests, carried out train patrols, attended fatalities and assisted officers in custody. Harry manages this alongside a full-time job in a supermarket where he works as a fishmonger.
Temporary DC Marsha Selby was awarded Detective Investigation of the Year, for her work to secure the conviction of a man for sexual offences against children. In May 2023, three teenage girls reported a man ‘upskirting’ them at Knutsford train station in Cheshire. TDC Selby’s tenacious investigative work resulted in a man being jailed for 18 months and ordered to sign the sex offenders register.
Tristan Huckle received the inaugural Chair’s Award. Tristan was a PC in BTP’s London region before being forced to medically retire earlier this year. He was recognised for his exemplary work in caring for people who have tried to take their own life – and equally trying to save lives when off duty. Tristan responded to two fatalities on the rail network in six months and assisted with the aftermath of a serious traffic collision he witnessed while off duty.
These incidents understandably had a detrimental effect on Tristan’s mental health, but with support, he has since been able to return to work for BTP in a police staff role.
The winners are pictured with Simon Powell from headline sponsors, Ardonagh (far left) and Federation Chair, Stuart Cowan, far right. Full line-up from left to right, Simon Powell, SC Harry Rawdon, PC Marc Brooks, TDC Marsha Selby, PC Andrew Margerison, T/Insp Rankaj Jassell, Tristan Huckle, PC George Philpott and Stuart Cowan.