With the first-ever elections for PCCs having taken place on 15 November, the BSIA is calling for increased partnership working between the police service and the private sector – citing improved efficiencies, reduced costs and the return of warranted officers to frontline duties as the key benefits of a joined-up approach.
“Police reform simply cannot be delivered without the support of the private security industry,” said Robbie Calder, chairman of the BSIA’s Police and Public Services Section, which itself consists of member companies that specialise in police support roles.
“Many of the election pledges made by PCC candidates would be difficult to achieve without outsourcing at least some support functions to the private sector.”
Intelligent procurement is one way for PCCs to deliver on cost savings, which forms a key element of their role in light of the Government’s 2010 announcement of cuts to the policing budget of up to 20%.
Benefits of service outsourcing
According to a report published by Perpetuity Research and Consultancy International, outsourcing to the private security industry could save as much as GB pound 1 billion.
This potential for savings has been particularly apparent in Lincolnshire. Here, the police service working alongside a BSIA member company has not only saved the force as much as GB pound 28 million, but an eight-week trial of a ‘street-to-suite’ scheme (whereby individuals placed under arrest by warranted officers were transported back to custody ?suites and booked in by private security personnel) also saved an estimated 350 hours in frontline police officers’ time.
In fact, according to Calder there are many police support roles that simply do not require a warranted police officer.
“At present, our police officers perform far too many tasks that don’t necessarily require the presence of a warranted officer. For example, when it comes to managing cordons, area searches and taking witness statements. The introduction of a new era of regulation in the private security industry”, including company registration, will hopefully serve to increase police confidence in working alongside our industry.”
Calder continued: “This year, with the introduction of elected Police and Crime Commissioners and the economic implications of partnership working, there has never been a better opportunity to make a positive change and explore this issue further.”
Here are the results of the PCC elections in full.
Discussions at the Conservative Party Conference
Meeting with a number of PCC candidates at the Conservative Party Conference last month, the BSIA’s CEO James Kelly was keen to promote the significant benefits that increased partnership working can bring.
“It’s not about creating a privatised police force, as many opponents of partnership working would have us believe,” said Kelly. “In contrast, this is a case of private industry taking on support functions to aid the police in delivering the Government’s programme of reform.”
He added: “The security industry already contributes significantly to assisting the police and emergency services if called upon to do so. The BSIA will continue to engage with PCCs and Parliamentarians through its dedicated public affairs programme to ensure that political thinking remains open to this diverse and innovative approach.”
To find out more about the BSIA and its Police and Public Services Section access the dedicated web pages