Letter: Private court escorts

Sir: The catalogue of catastrophes that has characterised the first week of privatisation of court escorts should surprise nobody. As with so many other public services, there is no evidence that private sector provision improves quality.

With four prisoners escaping in the first week, Group 4's performance gives a new meaning to the description of the private sector as get-up-and-go. Or was the company attempting to fulfil two government policy objectives at the same time: contracting out a public service and reducing the size of the prison population?

Yours sincerely,

JOHN SHELDON

General Secretary

National Union of Civil and Public Services

London, SE1