There are no plans to privatise police cells in Tayside and Fife to save money, the two forces have insisted.
It emerged on Tuesday that two Scottish forces are in talks with security firm G4S over cost-cutting proposals to take over the running of cells and other back office functions.
But, despite the need to slash budgets, both Tayside Police and Fife Constabulary said they were not involved in any such discussions.
The revelations came as justice secretary Kenny MacAskill gave the clearest indication yet the SNP are preparing to back the idea of a single Scots force, telling a policing conference in Edinburgh, “There are stronger arguments being made at present for a single force, but challenges still remain and have to be answered.
“The status quo is no longer tenable. I can’t ask people to do more with less, or to do more with the same.”
He added, “There could very well be less money but we are going to have to maintain and indeed build on our excellent service. Therefore we have to change how we do things and that goes across the board.”
John Shaw, managing director of G4S Care and Justice Services, suggested to the conference the firm could save a force with 200 cells about £77 million over four years.
The firm, which would not disclose what two forces are involved in the talks, believes it could run custody suites and provide medical forensic services, such as taking swabs and prints.Profit not always ‘appropriate’It has around 20,000 former police officers on its database, who are used to help forces with door-to-door inquiries and trawling CCTV, among other services.
Mr Shaw said ingrained suspicion of G4S’s motives was the only reason there has been no outsourcing to the private sector in Scottish policing.
He said, “There is a bit of a distrust about the private sector and what our intentions and motives are. Making a profit it’s not a bad thing.
“If businesses didn’t make profit, believe me, you wouldn’t be fed or watered. It’s part of what makes the world go around. We fully accept it’s not appropriate in all cases.”
However, the potential development was later branded “crazy” by Dave Watson, organiser of the Unison union in Scotland. “If money is to be put into locking people up, that’s where it should go not into the pockets of shareholders of a multinational security firm.”
Tory justice spokesman John Lamont said decisions on such matters should be left to the relevant police forces.
“Provided this plan protects frontline policing and does not affect the quality of services on offer, we should cautiously consider it,” he said.
But Lib Dem justice spokesman Robert Brown insisted it was a policy decision for government.
He said, “If privatising police cells is such a good idea, the SNP will need to see persuasive evidence to back it up.”