Victims and Prisoners Act 2024

9 Code awareness and reviewing compliance: British Transport Police

(1) In this section—

• “the Authority” is the British Transport Police Authority;

• “the Chief Constable” is the Chief Constable of the British Transport Police Force;

• “relevant services” are services provided in England and Wales by the Chief Constable.

(2) The Chief Constable must take reasonable steps to promote awareness of the victims’ code among users of relevant services and other members of the public.

(3) The Chief Constable and the Authority must keep under review whether and how relevant services are provided in accordance with the duty in section 5(1).

(4) The Chief Constable must, in particular, undertake the following activities in such manner as may be prescribed—

(a) collect prescribed information about the provision of relevant services;

(b) share with the Authority prescribed information about the provision of relevant services;

(c) review with the Authority information shared under paragraph (b).

(5) The Authority must, in particular, undertake the following activities in such manner as may be prescribed—

(a) provide the Secretary of State with the information shared with it under subsection (4)(b), or such of that information as may be prescribed;

(b) participate in any review under subsection (4)(c);

(c) provide the Secretary of State with such reports, on such matters in connection with a review under subsection (4)(c), as may be prescribed.

(6) In this section, “prescribed” means prescribed in regulations made by the Secretary of State.

(7) Regulations under this section may, in particular—

(a) prescribe different information in relation to different services;

(b) prescribe information relating to the characteristics or experiences of users of services;

(c) prescribe the times at which, or periods within which, information must be collected, shared or reviewed, or information or a report must be provided to the Secretary of State;

(d) prescribe the form in which information must be collected or shared, or information or a report must be provided to the Secretary of State, or require those things to be done in such form as may be specified in a notice issued from time to time by the Secretary of State.

(8) Before making regulations under this section, the Secretary of State must consult the Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses and such other persons as the Secretary of State considers appropriate (and it is immaterial for these purposes whether the consultation is carried out before or after this section comes into force).