Winky on why our streets need his patrols
SECURITY BOSS ON BOX
HE made headlines last year when he pledged to introduce his own unique brand of security to Tyneside.
Ex-army boxer John ‘Winky’ Watson claimed he’s better than police at keeping streets safe.
Customers pay him to carry out private patrols on tough estates across the North East.
And now, almost 12 months after pledging to roll out his operation in Newcastle, the private security firm boss has appeared on Channel 4’s Skint Britain. The series shows how some people are struggling to cope in Hartlepool with universal credit.
But 15 minutes into the programme, the action briefly shifted to Redcar, where Mr Watson, of South Bank-based firm John Watson Security, is seen hitting a punchbag in the Redcar Boxing Club gym.
Mr Watson made headlines in March 2018 when he set up his firm, which offers householders the chance to sign up for patrols from as little as £13 a year.
And introducing him, narrator David Threlfall told viewers: “Though the crimewave is bad news for some, for others, it presents a business opportunity .... ”
In the programme, the cameras follow Mr Watson to Hartlepool, where he’s seen signing up a customer in “one of the more affluent areas”.
He says: “These people work long hours and they don’t want some little b ****** going up and robbing their belongings.”
But he’s also seen talking to some of the people struggling to make ends meet, saying: “It’s my job to stop you doing what you do and it’s your job to survive and get somewhere to stay.
“But I sympathise with you... I feel let down talking to you.”
The series, which continues next week, has attracted mixed reviews, with some praising its portrayal of the problems with universal credit, but others unhappy at its downbeat representation of Hartlepool.
Skint Britain: Friends Without Benefits is on Channel 4 on Wednesday at 9pm, and available on All 4.
These people work long hours and they don’t want some little b ****** going up and robbing their belongings.
JOHN WATSON