So far it’s only being discussed in a few areas, but wow, what a bad idea. As it stands today, the police are a tool of the 1% but outsourcing to the corporate world won’t make it better and will probably make it even worse. Think about how accountable the military contractors have been in Iraq and then imagine that in your home town. Good luck getting anywhere with complaints, which are already difficult enough. The Guardian:

West Midlands and Surrey have invited bids from G4S and other major security companies on behalf of all forces across England and Wales to take over the delivery of a wide range of services previously carried out by the police. The contract is the largest on police privatisation so far, with a potential value of £1.5bn over seven years, rising to a possible £3.5bn depending on how many other forces get involved. This scale dwarfs the recent £200m contract between Lincolnshire police and G4S, under which half the force’s civilian staff are to join the private security company, which will also build and run a police station for the first time.