RENT A COP
Amid rising crime and fewer officers on beat, will families soon pay £200 a month for private police forces like ‘My Local Bobby’?
FRUSTRATED homeowners could turn to private police in a bid to tackle rising street crime.
The UK’s first private law enforcement agency has held talks about sending patrols into Scots communities amid complaints Police Scotland is failing to tackle anti-social behaviour.
Private force My Local Bobby (MLB) is assessing ‘opportunities’ after being contacted by concerned members of the public.
It comes after Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said communities face soaring crime rates if the ‘systemic underfunding’ of Police Scotland continues.
Now MLB, which has already been hired by communities in England, says there is a growing demand for them to fill gaps left by Scotland’s overstretched force.
Former Met commander and cofounder of MLB Tony Nash, 55, said his firm was expanding into the north-east and north-west of England from its London heartland, and Scotland was the logical next step to their growth.
Mr Nash added: ‘We’ve been approached by a residential group in one of Scotland’s cities who were concerned about anti-social behaviour at night going unchecked near the city centre. It’s similar to the inquiries we field across the UK.
‘We’re willing to work where the community wants us. We have an ability to expand and are keen to do so in places like Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
‘We had an inquiry from the Hyndland area of Glasgow around two years ago but it wasn’t progressed. We weren’t in a position at the time because we were focusing on London. Now we would be able to expand and would be able to work in Scotland.
‘We would set up a contract and work with the community who contacted us to find out what they want, and what the area needs.
‘If residents in Scotland want to hire our services we would meet and discuss our fee which covers all our costs and a small profit margin. It’s a flat fee and divided by the entire group so the more people, the cheaper it is. It’s almost crowdfunding.’
Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘The SNP has failed to support Police Scotland.
‘The consequence of that neglect is that some communities are suggesting they need extra help to keep them safe.’
Since it was launched by two former senior Metropolitan Police officers in 2016, MLB has become increasingly prominent.
This year, MLB revealed crime rates had dropped 43 per cent in Woodford, East London, since the company began patrols last May.
MLB is one of several firms to offer patrol services, but it is the first self-styled police force for hire. Some 139 Woodford residents each pay £50 a month to have the officers patrolling their streets.
Mr Nash said: ‘Regardless of where you are in the UK, the impact of modern policing coupled with budgetary restraints has created this storm where you don’t have the frontline service any more and that’s where MLB comes in. ’
Policing expert Professor Stuart Lister, of Leeds University, said: ‘We are seeing a growth in these sorts of schemes after a decade of austerity has led to a fall in visible police presence on our streets.
‘The risk to our communities is it could lead to a situation where crime is pushed on to areas where communities can not afford to pay a company to patrol the streets.’
MLB has mounted hundreds of private prosecutions for theft and other crimes such as drug offences and pick-pocketing in England, after claims police had given up on targeting the offences.
It has even set up a prosecution unit which has resulted in offenders being jailed.
The service involves officers being hired out to customers who pay a subscription of up to £200 per month.
In return, locals get uniformed patrols, urgent responses to emergencies and alarms and direct contact with the firm.
The service was set up by Mr Nash and David McKelvey, a former detective chief inspector with the Met, who said police officers on the beat had vanished from Britain’s streets.
He also raised the prospect of Police Scotland giving up on investigating some crimes as ‘more than 750 officers’ face the axe in the midst of budgetary turmoil.
Assistant Chief Constable Steve Johnson said: ‘Our officers are warranted in accordance with the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 to prevent and detect crime.
‘We remain committed to working with our partners to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.’
Scotland’s Chief Constable last week said cuts could be made in 2021 as Police Scotland continues to struggle financially.
‘The more people, the cheaper it is’