Met support staff threaten strike to protect jobs from privatisation

Thousands of support staff could go on strike if Boris Johnson pursues plans to privatise parts of the Met.

Police community support officers, 999 call centre workers and Commons security are among those who could walk out as unions warned they would use “every single element in our armoury” to ensure key areas such as training and forensics were not contracted out.

The Mayor believes private firms could run some Scotland Yard services “without making the thin blue line any thinner” as the Met struggles with a £250 million budget black hole. While other forces around the country have backed away from private contracts after the G4S security fiasco in the run-up to the Olympics, City Hall is understood to remain keen.

But Richard Rooney, chairman of the Met’s branch of the PCS union which represents 8,500 civilian staff, warned: “If they go down this track we will take all forms of action to protect our jobs. We would use all methods, industrial action if we had to. What bigger issue is there to go out on than to protect the future of our jobs?”

Responding to incidents, victim and witness support, as well as managing the vehicle fleet, finance and human resources could also be up for grabs in a move to privatisation. Police staff have not taken strike action over an internal Met matter 20 years.

Union bosses said they must be involved in any talks about contracting out services led by the new deputy mayor for policing, Stephen Greenhalgh.

A spokesman for the Mayor’s Office for policing and crime said: “We will look at all sensible cost reduction measures to enable the police to concentrate on fighting crime.”