Security privatisation
The PCS civil service union fears increased risk to the safety of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) staff following the announcement that HMRC is privatising its in-house security team. Mitie is to be given the contract to run the entire security guard provision across the future HMRC estate.
The PCS has objected to the proposals at every stage of the process, condemning the management report recommending the outsourcing — which was produced without visiting a single site to review the security requirements, according to the union.
HMRC claims that the service needs to be privatised because of new service requirements in their planned regional centres and specialist sites. The union said existing security guards would have been willing to undergo any additional training, and already the first new regional centre to open in Croydon, isn’t operating to the requirements set out in management’s new “service standards”.