‘Utter, complete—and highly mischievous—nonsense’ was how the Chair of Cleveland Police Authority today described suggestions that 999 calls could be handled from call centres in India or France if plans to develop a partnership with a private sector company go ahead.
Councillor Dave McLuckie said that ‘time after time’ the Authority and Force had made it clear that the Force’s Control Room operations—including handling 999 calls—would remain at the Force headquarters…and operational command would remain with the Force.
The Authority has shortlisted two bidders—Steria and CapGemini/Reliance—as potential partners to deliver a range of ‘back office’ functions, but as yet no decision has been taken on whether to go ahead.
Councillor McLuckie hit back angrily after national media reports today suggested that the move to work with a private sector partner could result in 999 calls being ‘privatised’ and being handled from foreign call centres.
Said the Authority Chair “From the very start of our consideration of possibly working with a private sector partner we have made it clear that the same people would be handling calls from the public from the same place—our Force headquarters—and command of response to calls would remain firmly with the Force.
“At every stage we have made that clear to everyone—to our staff, to the trade unions, to the public, the media—and indeed potential partners—and one has to question the motives of those within the national media who have today apparently sought to totally misrepresent the facts in such a scandalous way.
“Some of the allegations are literally beyond belief—for example it is claimed that one of our potential partners is based in India…that is simply untrue.
“Far from seeking to undermine our service to the public, the aim of any partnership would be to improve the way we handle calls—including, for instance, checking back with members of the public to see if they were happy with the quality of service they had received.
“Working with private sector partners is nothing new in the police service—indeed it has helped us to provide some of the best buildings and facilities in the country, release more officers for front-line duties and give our officers on the beat state-of-the-art mobile technology.
“At a time when we know resources are going to come under increasing pressure, we need to examine every possible option to maintain and improve our service to the public. This authority and force is not about short-changing the public…we are one of the most successful in the country in reducing crime and we enjoy one of the highest levels of public confidence.
“It is disgraceful that absolutely misleading stories of the kind we have seen today should seek to undermine that confidence. We will be seeking a retraction and apology from those media outlets who have chosen to publish this nonsense.”
25-2-10