UNISON warning over police privatisation

Commenting on the news that large swathes of police services could be outsourced to the private sector, Ben Priestley, UNISON National office for police and justice, said:

“Bringing the private sector into policing is a dangerous experiment with local safety and taxpayer’s money. We are urging police authorities not to fall into the trap of thinking the private sector is the answer to the coalition’s cuts. The fact that the Home Office is refusing to publish its business case – even under FOI – speaks for itself.

“Privatisation means that the police will be less accountable to the public. And people will no longer be able to go to the Independent Police Complaints Commission if they have a problem. When a critical incident happens, a force’s ability to respond will be severely compromised. The only winners are private companies and shareholders who make profits at the expense of local services.”