Secure, timely and safe prisoner escorting

Reliance first took over the secure escorting of prisoners and management of custody in courts within an area referred to as the ‘South Wales and West’ in 1996. As part of the first tranche of outsourcing from Government of this work, Reliance employed over 350 officers and support staff ensuring a successful mobilisation and transition from the public sector operation to deliver all services from day one. Since then the company has built significant experience in the management of prisoners, the logistics of transporting prisoners and of ensuring safe and secure custody for prisoners that also maximises their welfare. in 2004, as a result of the experience gained and history of high quality service delivery Reliance was awarded a much larger prisoner escorting contract and currently employ over 1,100 delivering the service throughout the Midlands, South Wales and most of Southern England. The award of this contract involved the TUPE transfer of over 600 staff from other operators.

Ensuring that 22,000 prisoners a month are transferred between 175 police stations, 43 prisons and over 200 courts in a safe, secure and timely manner is a significant logistical task. Reliance’s use of 220 specialist vehicles and over 1000 trained Prison Custody Officers, ensured that the right person was in the right place at the right time every day and consistently delivered the highest levels of performance across the country year after year.

Working around the clock and using sophisticated technology which included GPS vehicle tracking, routing software and auditable prisoner record management the Reliance central control room captured on average 20 transactions per prisoner showing movements and activities, and delivered to 50 key performance indicators based on the requirements of the Criminal Justice System.

Reliance’s ability to react and deliver flexibly to the changing daily needs of the customer was paramount. As the peak time for arrests is during the night, Reliance generally received the final schedule of prisoner movements for the following day only hours before the vehicles leave for pick- ups. The requirements for returns to prisons from court is equally complex and unpredictable as it relies entirely on sentencing decisions made by the courts during the day, and again requires flexibility, detailed communication with a range of stakeholders and robust systems and processes.

At courts, Reliance officers managed the safety, security and care of prisoners within both the custody suite and courtrooms. The company has built up a high level of knowledge and ability in working with the wide range of prisoners passing through the Criminal Justice System; in addition to dealing with issues such as race, creed and gender Reliance officers also manage significant numbers of vulnerable people, many of whom are dependent on drugs and/or alcohol.