BITN 923_04,05 (News)

20/4/12

12:32

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N E W S

Moving to a different beat

Large-scale staff cuts at Greater Manchester Police could be part of a move towards privatisation, less accountability and poorer standards, union groups and a leading expert have warned. GMP is one of several forces across England to have expressed interest in the possible outsourcing of police services to private companies, which could see security companies taking on investigations and patrolling neighbourhoods. Over the last year there have been more than 1,000 staff losses at GMP with a further 2,000 expected by 2014/15, fuelling concerns that private firms could be paid to step in and fill the void.

Privatisation
Jim Moodie, who leads on police and justice at Unison North West, told The Big Issue in the North he feared poorer paid, less committed police staff will be increasingly employed as part of private contracts. We believe that the frontline has already been affected specifically in terms of police staff losses, Moodie said. We could see every part of police staffing potentially outsourced, effectively meaning anybody who wants to come in and make a profit out of running the police services is going to be interested. So when you go into your police station the only ones who might not be part of the private sector are the ones who will be wearing the uniforms. Your custody staff, your enquiry counters, your 999 call handlers they could be part of the private sector. And we simply dont think thats acceptable in terms of the type of public service that the police force is. Other forces have already moved towards privatisation. Cleveland Police has brought in security firm Steria to take over its control room, human resources and training, crime
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Police forces have invited bids from private companies to provide services including investigating crimes

management unit, finance and district inquiry desks. Private security contractor G4S has been recruiting investigating officers to work with police in London, and has also secured a 200 million tenyear deal with Lincolnshire Police in which private security guards will take suspected criminals into custody. Professor Jim Waddington, a former police constable who has advised governments on law and order over a near 50-year career, said staff cuts were part of a move towards privatisation linked to pressures of globalisation affecting countries across the world.

Radical solutions
There are forces at work here that are much bigger, Waddington said. This continues an uneven but discernible trend over a period of about 30 or 40 years... its just one more step. There has been a progressive privatisation and outsourcing of police functions, starting with things like traffic wardens in the 1960s.

What will change most, I think, is the relationship between the authorities that they represent and the people who are on the receiving end. They [privately contracted police] will be employees of a company without allegiance or accountability to the Crown. Employees have a master and servant relationship and will just do what they are told to do. One has to worry about that. During an online question and answer session last month, GMP Chief Constable Peter Fahy said the force had no plans to outsource call taking or sceneof-crime services but added radical solutions could be necessary. We are watching what is happening in other areas that are looking at working closer with private sector companies, Fahy said. I do need to be clear the budget savings we are required to make will require radical solutions. While the private sector has some things to offer, there are also lots of drawbacks so that is

why we are watching how other forces are getting on. I would much prefer for us to achieve savings by working in greater collaboration with other public services in Greater Manchester.

Suspects
Last month it emerged West Midlands and Surrey police forces have invited bids from companies on behalf of forces across the country to provide services including investigating crimes, detaining suspects and developing cases. The Police Federation, which represents all police officers in England and Wales, attacked the move. This plan suggests that core policing roles such as police patrols and the power to detain, thus depriving people of their liberty, will be undertaken by private business employees, said vice-chairman Simon Reed. This would have catastrophic consequences for the high level of service the public rightly expect and currently receive.
RYAN GALLAGHER

THE BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH 23-29 APRIL 2012