An outsourcing deal allowing a private security company to design, build and run a police station in Lincolnshire is expected to result in the biggest ever single transfer of police staff to a commercial firm.
The agreement between G4S and Lincolnshire Police is thought to be the first of its kind in the UK and is anticipated to save the force £20 million.
Under the terms of the deal, 540 civilian workers at the force, which represents two thirds of all of the personnel employed by it, will move across to the contractor from April. Lincolnshire Police will pay G4S £200 million over 10 years to deliver a range of services, including HR, finance and IT.
As well as providing back office functions, the contract include provisions for designing and building two purpose-built custody suites staffed by G4S custody detention officers under the guidance of Lincolnshire Police custody sergeants.
The suites would be the first to be constructed in the UK and would enable the police to close old and out-of-date cells in town centre police stations as well as freeing up warranted officers to undertake crime prevention activity.
But the Police Federation has raised concerns about the proposed deal, warning that civilian police staff, including IT professionals, have an "enshrined sense of public duty which private employees may not".
