G4S sacks pair who tagged offender's false leg

Putting a sock in a security system

This story sounds bizarre. Private security firm G4S has sacked two members of staff who tagged a man's false leg allowing him to remove it and break a court-imposed curfew. The security company claims that the two operatives failed to follow procedure. Apparently, if they had done they would have spotted his false leg. But nowhere can I find if the proper procedure is actually applying the electronic tag to bare flesh. If this is the case the two are obviously bang to rights for procedural failure.

However, as is so often the case, the pair have been sacked for a "serious disciplinary offence". I read of such cases and many times think it is more about causing embarrassment to a particular business rather than actually doing something against procedure. Now in this case I wonder whether the bare flesh test is ALWAYS carried out. What if a criminal with two normal legs was tagged over his socks. Does this happen? It may do. A picture from the BBC East Midlands Today site shows a tag being fitted over a sock.

G4 Security doesn't have a very good track record in tagging. East Midlands Today did an undercover report in March 2007 in their Inside Out series. G4 was suitably sensitive about the whole thing but eventually gave written answers to questions raised.

Is this the first case of a false leg getting tagged by G4? No, it isn't! They got a tag on a dummy leg in 2009. Group 4 launched a probe when told about it. A spokeswoman said, "We conduct our monitoring operation under rigorous procedures which include carrying out an assessment of the leg that is being tagged. It would appear that in this instance the procedure has not been followed." So, what exactly is the procedure? Unless bare flesh is examined for tagging purposes, the old sock trick will get G4 everytime.

My guess all this is about them fearing the loss of a lucrative contract rather than anything else. I bet a lot of corner cutting goes on which is why we are constantly hearing tales about these lapses at G4. But I think it is a bit rich to blame the troops. As in Afghanistan, it's the bloody officers and chiefs in charge that try to hide behind "procedures". Truthfulness may serve us better on all counts.

Posted in: G4 Security,leg tags