Guantanamo Bay construction firm bid for UK police contract

Texas based company KBR, a former subsidiary of the Halliburton group, is seeking a role in the £1.5 billion contract to run a number of services on behalf of West Midlands and Surrey police.

The American company was part of the group that built the Guantanamo Bay detention centre in Cuba.

The company has tried to distance itself from its involvement in the controversial detention centre.

Other police forces, under pressure to cut costs in the face of 20% budget cuts, have already agreed deals with private firms to provide a range of support services.

Shadow policing mininster David Hanson Shadow says the Government is pushing policing too far in to privatisation, and cutting too much from police budgets.

KBR's Andrew Pringle said the firm was interested in helping West Midlands and Surrey Police improve their efficiency, but added the roles of front line policing would not be affected.

The firm already has contracts with the Ministry of Defence. They already employ a large amount of civilian staff and manage British Camp Bastian in Afghanistan.

The Police Federation have hit out at the move, saying it is part of a process to "make the police more and more remote from the public".