Serco prisoner escort review gets underway

11th Sep 2013 09:53

Serco Group, the security company which at the end of August was forced to call police after discovering the misreporting of data by 'a small number of employees', said Wednesday that a review was now underway. The review relates specifically to Serco's Prisoner Escort and Custody Services (PECS) contract with the UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ), under which it is required to deliver defendants to court. Its performance is measured against the delivery of a defendant being 'Designated Ready and Available for Court Time' (DRACT).Serco said it had identified misreporting of DRACT data locally on the PECS contract, with performance levels being 'overstated'.The review is being carried out to identify any changes necessary to its practices, processes and procedures, and has established a specific committee of the board to oversee the programme. An independent third-party member, the Conservative peer Lord Gold, has also been appointed to the committee. The committee said it would "ensure appropriate transparency" between Serco and the customer, which would be supported by a programme of training. Chris Hyman, Group Chief Executive, said: "Serco is a business led by its values and built on the strength of its reputation for integrity, and the overwhelming majority of our people work hard every day to deliver important public services effectively. "We will not tolerate poor practice and behaviour and wherever it is found we will put it right. I am delighted that someone of Lord Gold's stature and reputation has agreed to provide independent insight to this important programme. "This is an opportunity to show who we are and what we stand for. We will embed quickly and effectively any changes needed into the way we do business and I expect Serco to emerge stronger as a result."The review is expected to be completed by the end of November. The failure to report correct data resulted in the loss of all accrued and future earnings on the deal. NR