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Prisoner movements

Soon after GSL opened HMP Wolds it won the pioneering tender for prisoner transportation in response to the government's decision to contract out the movements of prisoners.

The business subsequently developed significantly and GSL now undertakes two types of prisoner movement services:

• The prisoner escort and court custody services, in which we make more than 670,000 prisoner movements per year in England and Wales
•  The inter-prison movement which include some 75,000 prisoner movements per year

 

Prisoner escort and court custody services

 

GSL has unrivalled experience in the UK in providing prisoner escort and court custody services. These services commenced in 1992 and culminated in GSL operating four of the existing eight contracts in England and Wales. GSL was selected to operate this service for two of the four new contract areas from August 2004 for the National Offender Management Service.

Previously undertaken by the prison service and police there have been significant cost savings to government and an impressive reduction in escapes in England and Wales. Independent statistics show that GSL service is both more secure and less expensive than when the service was provided by the previous providers.

We are proud of our achievements especially in the areas of human rights and health and safety where, in collaboration with others through planned thematic audits we have improved conditions for prisoners at an impressive number of court locations. We are committed to continuing this important work.

 

What the service involves

The prisoner escorting operation

Our prisoner custody officers are involved in three phases of the prisoner escorting operation. In Phase 1, our officers collect prisoners from local prisons and police stations each morning, and deliver them to magistrates, county and crown courts.

Our officers then receive, process and hold prisoners at the courts ensuring that they are delivered to the right court room at the right time. Following their court appearance we process individuals for their release from custody or retain them in custody pending their return to prison.

This third phase of the operation is the most challenging, requiring our staff to plan routes to return prisoners to prisons within contractually specified times as the adjudication of their case is confirmed. Good communication between our control room, the courts and the vehicle crews is essential.

Demand is dynamic depending on the number of arrests by the police and the commitments of prisoners to prison by the courts. Movements can, and are extremely varied and can be from police stations to any court location in the country. All these are on a virtual on demand service with less than 24 hours’ notice.

Routing and scheduling

Effective control is essential for the efficient co-ordination and delivery of the transportation phases of the operation. The operations control centre receives prisoner transportation requests and with the use of the latest route planning computer software the staff determine the number of daily operational ‘routes’ to be provided. The details of the planned ‘routes’ are transmitted electronically to each vehicle base, prison, police station and court to provide relevant information to permit further planning and resource tasking.

Prisoner welfare and security

Ensuring the safe and secure escort and custody of prisoners demands a sound understanding of security, respect for the authority of the court, the criminal justice system and the officials. Prisoners need to be managed and treated as individuals with their own rights whilst recognising why they are being held in custody.

Our desire to be the ‘best’ necessitates that we not only meet the needs of the client but care for both the staff and prisoners involved in the process. To achieve this desire we seek to ensure that our policies are fair and just, to recognise the role of staff and to support our duty of care to both our staff and prisoners whilst fulfilling the requirements of service delivery to the criminal justice system.

Our working practices ensure that we provide an operation that accounts for the need to minimise risks to the prisoners such as self-harm and risks from the prisoners, such as vandalism and escape. We also ensure that we take account of religious and cultural needs as well as any communication difficulties prisoners may have.

Vehicles

GSL manages the largest cellular vehicle fleet in the UK built to Home Office specifications prescribed within the contract.

GSL court services has in excess of 14 years’ experience of operating secure and safe prisoner transportation. The company has been innovative in design and specification changes which have consistently improved the security and operational efficiencies of the vehicles as well as providing for prisoner comfort during transit.

Roles undertaken by GSL staff

We have prisoner custody officers that are involved in the three phases of prisoner movement described above. In addition we have other officers based at various courts within our contract areas.

GSL have two dedicated operational control centres.  Information from 305 prisons and police stations is received daily and translated into an operational solution using scheduling software. This is then relayed to 16 vehicle bases, 400 vehicles and 150 permanently staffed courts.

All staff recruited to work on these contracts and with the prisoners are well trained and aware of their role. They understand the value of good communications and interpersonal skills and the need for security and safety within the environment. GSL has developed the necessary training and skills to undertake the range of tasks required.

Our training programmes foster an awareness of passive and dynamic security of the custodial environment, of prisoner transportation and situational response. In our management of communications with the judiciary, the agencies’ staff and prisoners our teams are trained to demonstrate a consistent measure of courtesy and respect for others.