G4S have started their takeover of aspects of Policing in Lincolnshire by taking control of the Constabularies fleet of 400 vehicles. – part of the controversial £200m 10-year deal that has been struck between Lincolnshire and G4S with the assistance of White & Case – the law firm with whom Tom Winsor is a senior partner. They will now be responsible for the servicing and maintenance of these vehicles instead of those repairs being carried out by third parties.
On a moderately positive note, I believe that all the staff employed by Lincolnshire Police in this department have been transferred to G4S as part of the deal which will see 540 members of Police Staff move across initially. I hope they will be well looked after, but can’t help wondering how long it will be before their new bosses start cutting a few positions here and there in order to stay in line with the benchmark running costs that have been set down by the National Association of Police Fleet Managers.
Staying on a financial note, I would also be interested to know what those being moved to the G4S payroll are receiving in their salary packages with their new employer and how this compares to the salaries being advertised for motor vehicle technicians on the G4S website at this very moment. The G4S posts within Lincolnshire Police are currently advertised with a full-time salary of £19,000 to £22,000. Conveniently putting this job at the same salary as that proposed for a Police Officer at the start of their career. I wonder whether those that drive these vehicles into potentially life-threatening situations on a daily basis will get a warm fuzzy feeling when they discover that they are being paid the same as those who change the oil and filters every 6,000 miles or so…
Within the next 12 months it is predicted that G4S will also be taking on the majority of roles within a new Police station within the county, complete with a 30 cell custody centre, situated in the village of Nettleham on the outskirts of Lincoln. This is a move that is not popular with many locals as it will mean that many criminals released from the custody centre will be sent out into the local area with no way of returning to the city other than walking or, dare I suggest it, ‘borrowing’ a car from someones driveway.
There is no public transport after 7pm or at any time on Sundays and I would expect that opportunities for Police to provide a taxi service for the five-mile trip back to the city will be limited if they exist at all! Concerns have been raised by residents about the steady flow of baddies that will enter their community, those that will no doubt visit to collect them and what they will get up to while they are there. I will watch with interest to see what happens to the crime rate when the new Police station opens….the Crime Reports website will no doubt be a good source of information for those in Nettleham on the impact of their new G4S castle.
Perhaps G4S will reassure the local community with some form of private security patrols….perhaps these patrols might carry a radio so that they can contact the Police if they need to…perhaps they could be given powers to detain similar to those of a PCSO….oh wait – that would be just like replacing Police Officers with civilian counterfeits and we have been told that’s never going to happen. Don’t count on it!
June 9th, 2012 at 11:19
I agree with everything you write about, although I would make one point: you mentioned about G4S staff being given the power to detain, would they really need that? Every person has the power to detain if they have witnessed the commission of an offence, or have reasonable grounds for suspecting that. It’s the good old citizens arrest. It’s something that rarely happens anymore, the public standing up against criminals and scallywags, and that’s partly why they think they can get away with it all, there aren’t enough coppers, and society has moved toward the school of thought that “it’s not my problem”. With fewer and fewer frontline officers, it’s time to empower the public again, make sure they know that they can stand up against the scum of society.
June 9th, 2012 at 13:45
On the point of prisoners being released from custody, I believe that the G4S ‘Street to Suite’ van/s will also take prisoners back (as well as pick them up) to allow officers to continue with other things – like patrolling and investigations. So building a station away from the city centre isn’t necessarily a problem. It’ll also be built on land already owned by Lincs Police and not situated ‘in the village of Nettleham’ at all. To be honest I don’t think the locals have anything to worry out – except maybe seeing more officers in their area.
I think the point you make about the salary of vehicle technicians is very unfair. So what if they get paid the same as an officer at the start of their career- are you saying they don’t deserve it? Will they get the same pension? No. Will the pay increase in line with the officers driving the vehicles? No. To compare their pay to the *starting* pay of an officer – which is actually in line with the national average and therefore a fair offer anyway – and also to belittle the work they do (“those who change the oil and filters every 6,000 miles or so”), is bordering on rude and condescending.
June 9th, 2012 at 16:53
Street to suite is one thing…suite to street is a completely different scenario and one that I doubt will receive the same level of service. The extra officers may be seen in the village as they drive by, but will probably be too busy going to or from the station to provide any kind of quality service to the residents (who, if my local parishioners are anything to go by, will probably spend their time complaining about the Police coming through the village on blues all the time)
You appear have got completely the wrong end of the stick about the salaries too. I am not saying that a workshop tech deserves less than the salary offered. It is, indeed, in line with that offered for similar positions elsewhere and is appropriate for the role.
My point is that the salary of a Police Officer is to be reduced to that level from one that recognises the risks, 24 hour shift working, and other unique factors of their role.
The work of the mechanics is not being belittled by my comments. They are a valuable part of the force and many are my friends. I simply ask that the role of Police Officer is recognised for what it is.
They will not get the same pension – you are right. But they will also not have to pay 12.25% of their salary into the scheme every month in order to receive it. They have industrial rights and a job that has little if any effect on their private life. Try and get a car looked at after 4pm and see how well protected their working environment is…we can be deployed to anything right up to the moment we turn off the radio…sometimes for hours of additional work at no notice.
For you to imply that a front line officer that faces potentially life threatening incidents on a regular basis deserves no more remuneration than another employee working in a comparably safe and secure workshop environment seems to suggest that you place little additional value on the role that officers perform.
Perhaps when PC’s are replaced by G4S patrols who just call in the cops when it goes wrong this may a justifiable situation, but until that time I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect that the differences in role and risk should be recognised.
Failing to acknowledge these risks is what I consider to be rude and condescending!
MC
June 9th, 2012 at 21:08
There is a lot in there, I will have to go and check some facts before I respond. (To avoid looking a complete arse. Again)
June 10th, 2012 at 07:30
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June 10th, 2012 at 21:21
“Back once again like a renegade master”
Contracting out fleet management, could make sense and save a few quid. It depends on the contract, if drawn up properly it should give higher availability of vehicles and a replacement unit delivered anywhere in county within 3 hours.
However, if the task of negotiating a deal was handed to some promotion obsessed, seat jumping shiny arse, then expect some “pay as you drive” arrangement with horrendous penalties if the annual mileage goes over the set limit. And hours wasted as officers drive half the length of the county to collect a unit that’s still on the ramps.
Now there is also a nagging security concern, anyone servicing, testing or commissioning police vehicles will have to have access to keys, reg numbers (unmarked cars) and all the secure comms and data systems. As well as the risk of tampering with safety systems.
The existing staff if I remember correctly will go over under TUPE but I would not be surprised if some were “managed out” to employ cheaper semi skilled staff.
I’m sorry MC but your commendable passion for the conditions of younger colleagues has led you to under cut your argument. I had to check this part with a friend who is in the trade, the role described in the advert is not for a new inexperienced mechanic. I’m told that to fill that role a mechanic would probably need at least 5-7 years further experience and there are not many around that could tick all the boxes, possibly a small number of ex-mil people that started mech and then switched to tech systems. Oh and the salary they are offering is about 10% below the normal rate even for Lincs.
I do fully accept the more general point you are making about the pay that should be due to those who run towards danger, when any reasonable person would shrink away. Policing is such a unique and important role, it is very, very hard to find anything comparable. And Winsor’s argument that pay should be cut because of the number of applicants is idiotic to say the least. Perhaps the same should apply to MP’s because there is always at least three bidding for the same post. I mean no offence to you or your hard working colleagues (though some of your SMT need a good hard slap repeated twice daily till they get a clue.)
The plans as you describe for a custody centre in the middle of nowhere, make no sense on any level, for all the reasons you indicate.
I hadn’t heard about “Street to Suite”, that’s going to go tits up faster than the British Olympic Woman’s High Jump Team. They are transporting people not parcels, I can see how they might safely get some coked up raging fruit loop into the van, they will have the fully trained, professional officers who arrested to help. But keeping them safe during the journey and getting them out into the suite, that sounds like a lot of things could go wrong. Who will pick up the bills when the force is sued, for the mistakes of the contract staff? I can foresee Officers being pulled out of the town centre back to the cell block if anything non routine needs doing.
NB.
I’m aware my post title is a misquote, I’d did however extensively research it by asking some people and ignoring those that disagreed with my preconceptions. Having followed such a prestigious and “independent” example, I now await my 200k job, a shiny uniform and as many hand shandies off Emelda as I can handle. (I think I just sicked in my mouth).
June 12th, 2012 at 22:05
The Met have had private companies “servicing” our vehicles for years. I put servicing in inverted commas as its questionable what service we get !! Our pay is managed by a private company, uniform is provided by a private company. Not sure that is such a bad thing but when they take over front line policing e.g. Patrols, PACE responsibilties etc then that is a step too far IMHO
June 13th, 2012 at 23:57
My experience of contracting out services, comes mostly from the private sector. And if they didn’t do what they where supposed to the Finance Director would withhold part payment until they did. And if they repeatedly messed up the contract would end, (it was written in as termination for repeated performance failure.)
The Police have a fantastic ability to carry on despite any and all obstacles, but continuing to use broken kit or not rejecting shoddy work. Means the suppliers get away with being useless.
I’m not sure if they want to do the sharp end stuff, it’s messy, there is not a lot of profit to be made, and if they get sued. That will put a big dent in their profits.
July 11th, 2012 at 03:52
I finished as a Police Constable in 2010 after approximately 5 years service. The reason I left was purely because I had no life and my relationship was on the line. 2 years later I am now a nurse and I have a life. The time and money I saw wasted in those 5 years was criminal to say the least. Trying different methods of policing, swapping shifts, moving teams around, wasting £500 per “designer” bike kit (because mostly PC’s and PCSO’s wanted them, wore the kit and disregarded the £800 bike) on top of that every single PC and PCSO in the UK had to re take cycling test via an external agency. One example where millions has been wasted. Why? Because unfortunately in the police there are a few individuals who want to be recognised to climb the ladder.
With regard to the last post re sueing, myothername you are bang on! These G4S posts will attract the wanna be bobbies. With the best will in the world im sure these people will mean well. But nothing but good Home Office style training prepares you for putting on that uniform on and attending incidents. Such as hangings, sudden deaths, stabbings, fights, robbery, burglary, rape, child abuse, frauds, assauts, violent disorder, RTC’s, DV’s ……… to name a few! If these incidents are not dealt with by the book and crimed accordingly to the law there will most deffinately be claims and more cases thrown out of court than ever before, offenders walking free. Think some fat cat solicitors will be rubbing their hands preparing for the aftermath of major failiures in the system. Armageddon in the police service has began!