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To: David Lidington MP, Secretary of State for Justice

Don't give G4S & Serco the power to arrest

Please don't give security firms like G4S and Serco the power to make arrests

Why is this important?

In a shocking 290m privatisation deal, Serco and G4S – the same two companies who were stripped of contracts for tagging prisoners because a Serious Fraud Office investigation revealed they were charging for tagging people who didn’t exist – are going to be trusted with the handcuffs by the government.

Essentially, the proposals would see G4S staff given the powers of Civilian Enforcement Officers. That is, authorised officers/employees of Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service becoming vested with the power to seize and sell goods to recover money owed under fines and community penalty notices, and to execute warrants of arrest, committal, detention and distraint.

The sticking point here is that although much of the recovery and enforcement arms of the Court service has long been outsourced to ‘Authorised’ Enforcement Officers (employees of various other private companies), the line has until now been drawn at outsourcing the power of arrest.

No more.

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Updates

2018-10-25 08:48:23 +0100

200,000 signatures reached

2017-10-29 07:28:40 +0000

150,000 signatures reached

2017-10-26 19:37:37 +0100

100,000 signatures reached

2017-10-25 19:23:44 +0100

50,000 signatures reached

2017-10-24 22:37:43 +0100

20,000 signatures reached

2017-10-24 09:49:59 +0100

10,000 signatures reached

2017-10-23 17:00:04 +0100

5,000 signatures reached

2017-10-22 23:53:24 +0100

1,000 signatures reached

2017-10-22 20:15:57 +0100

500 signatures reached

2017-10-21 12:18:08 +0100

100 signatures reached

2017-10-20 12:58:14 +0100

50 signatures reached

2017-10-19 20:56:03 +0100

25 signatures reached

2017-10-19 12:44:20 +0100

10 signatures reached