- Defence policy
- Equipment and support
- Modernising defence
- Aviation
- Marine
- Land vehicles
- Security
- HR and training
- Defence estates (DIO)
News updates
Twitter updates
Facebook
Email
Print
MoD to cut 1,800 police and guards
27 March 2012The Ministry of Defence is to cut MoD Police and MoD Guard Service numbers by 1,800 over the next four years, it has been announced.
Defence minister Andrew Robathan also set out plans to cut the management costs of both services by 50 per cent in coming years.
The changes will see MoD Police numbers cut from their present level of 3,100 to around 2,400 by April 2016.
The MoD Guard Service, which currently has around 3,300 personnel, will be cut to just under 2,200 by April 2015.
Announcing the plans to Parliament, Robathan said reductions were possible "in areas where activity, personnel, or expenditure is not absolutely essential to protecting our people, our assets or the delivery of defence outputs".
"In the current fiscal climate it is our duty to make savings in these areas, both to save money for the taxpayer, and to ensure defence can devote as much resource as possible to the front line."
Robathan said the cuts would be managed by having a greater reliance on "physical security measures" as well as unarmed service personnel, civilians and local constabularies.
The work of the MoD Police Criminal Investigation Department would be "reprioritised", Robathan said.
"I do not expect staff affected by these changes to welcome them, and I recognise – and very much regret – the uncertainty and anxiety caused to the personnel involved, who have made a vital contribution to defence security over many years," said Robathan.
"The fact remains, however, that we must focus our new security requirements, not on the past, but on what is essential for the future."
Eamon Keating, national chairman of the Defence Police Federation, said that ministers had "put the bottom line ahead of security".
"Making this announcement hours before the Parliamentary recess is disingenuous at best, particularly when ministers are announcing changes they had decided in December," he said.
"These decisions will put security of key establishments in the hands security providers who lack the training, investigative powers and constabulary authority of MoD Police officers. The results will be greater risk to our establishments, assets and personnel, not less.
"This is all the more frustrating when we have recently met with the MoD and outlined how flexible working and use of the MoD Police can deliver value for money – an issue we have been pushing for more than a year."
Shadow Defence Secretary Jim Murphy said the announcement raised questions about the protection of munitions and even nuclear bases in future.
"The army are being cut by 20,000 by this government, morale is falling and now ministers want soldiers to fill in for the MoD Police they're sacking," said Murphy.
"This is a pretty shabby way to sack 1,800 people. Sneaking out a statement on the eve of Easter recess is no way to end the MoD careers of so many brave men and women."
HAVE YOUR SAY
27 March 2012
You wouldn't expect anything different from this coalition government now would you, enjoy your easter break!
Angry - England
27 March 2012
Oh good idea, supplement the cuts by using 'local constabularies' on top of their own 20-25% cuts, on no account stop throwing millions away on overseas aid, this Government has lost the plot!
Hereman - Wirral, England
27 March 2012
I have to agree with Herreman - charity starts at home!!
Norman - UK
29 March 2012
Rich of Jim Murphy considering the MPGS were set up under Labour to assist with the protection of installations.
Maybe more MPGS will be recruited?
I see that of the cuts only 700 are to the MDP, who are the better assets, being firearms trained and equipped.
The arguement about safety of nuclear assets is cobblers, as I very much doubt there will be cuts to the MDP guarding Aldermaston, Burghfield, or Coulport, or to the MDP's Specialist Escort Group or the Royal Marines dets from the FPGRM guarding the convoys, inner areas of Faslane, or Northwood.
Fewer bases, fewer assets, equals fewer MoD Police. Another cut, to which I am totally opposed, but am not surprised by.
Physical security measures protecting sites is indeed of equal impotance.
Daniele Mandelli - Guildford
29 March 2012
Importance,not impotence!
Daniele Mandelli - Guildford
03 April 2012
Unarmed private security guards against armed terrorists? Is this wise?
John Hartley - Woking/Surrey/UK
04 April 2012
John Hartley - Woking.
There already are unarmed security guards from the MoD Guard Service at most sites.
The MoD has several hundred sites, many with no MDP det at all, so there alreay are plenty of soft targets for terrorists if that is their desire. These rely on mobile MDP dets called Deployable Support Groups.
The "higher value" sites will still have MPGS and MDP armed assets.
Crikey, I'm sounding like an apologist here! Just think that with all the other cuts to the front line this one can be mitigated rather better than loss of Nimrod, Carriers, etc.
Daniele Mandelli - Guildford
15 April 2012
THE RAPING OF THE MOD GUARD SERVICE
The professional body of men that make up the MOD Guard service (MGS) has taken over 20 years to bring it to the very high standard of security guarding that it is today.
It has cost countless millions of pounds of tax payer's money to achieve this. Are we now to set that aside and see a massive reduction in man power all because of the latest financial mess that the country is in.
All MGS officers are highly motivated and trained to work alone or as part of a team and they have a nose for trouble that cannot be replaced by poorly trained and poorly paid so called security guards from some of the civilian firms who (I suspect)the MOD are sure to try and replace the MGS with . Before we even consider the threat from terrorists there is the criminal furtunity to consider. When the financial going gets tough they get going.
MOD sites that are reduced in security will I have no doubt be among the first to be targeted by thieves looking for fuel or metals and the like. In fact if you think these cuts to their logical conclusion the very people we are trying to keep out of military establishments today will in all probability be manning the gates in the future. The chances of them having (SC) security clearance level which all MOD guards have are remote. I submit that one MGS officer with a dog patrolling an area is worth the equivalent of 12 men wondering around a fence line at night in the dark.
MGS officers don't just man key points they also know how to interact with soldiers and civilians. A certain amount of discretion is needed when dealing with people at all levels. Being well turned out in a smart uniform being approachable and dealing with people intelligently fairly and with respect is par for the course when you are an MGS officer. These qualities have been honed over the years and are what makes the MGS such a professional organization.
The high standards that took centuries to achieve and the British way of doing things is disappearing. We are heading toward becoming a third world country if no one stands up to stop this erosion in standards. With the country in such a mess now is not the time to be cutting security we should be enhancing it not getting rid of patrol men and dog handlers and having the dogs put down
Why it is in this country are we forced to continually make the same mistakes over and over again?
The next time a terrorist crosses a military fence line and places a bomb against the wall of an accommodation block where off duty soldiers are sleeping
Remember these cuts and remember who made them.
CSO5 R J COONEY Region 3
Robert j Cooney - Birmingham
07 June 2012
Due to the austerity measures, we of the MGS are now to be replaced by ex-servicemen to join the MPGS.
At a greater cost...Ie housing, medical and dental that come with their job...
How is this cheaper than the MGS service that does not get all those benefits...
At the time that the MPGS officer would be taken on he is a civilian and he is re-inlisted on a 3 year contract.
I would have thought that as members of the MGS most of which are ex-services personel would have been offered a place with the MPGS.
As we have not been we are now being told to take early release.
Failure to do so will only lead to mandatory redundancy at a lower pay out.
Outlook for these officers who are now having to retire early face a bleak future. Many are in their late forties or fifties.
With unemployment at its highest, what are their chances!
We have had no consultations nor meetings with management about what is happening, when it is happening, what the consequences are, and what we are entitle to.
We found we were going to lose out jobs on wikileaks 18 months ago...
Duty of care has not been adhered to by managers and unions complete and utter hopeless! Only sent e-mail from time to time!
Disgusted by the lack of leadership, loyalty to serving service officers...
C R Carroll - Amesbury Wiltshire MGS
16 January 2013
I worked for the MoD Guard Service for 11 years. The work rate of every Officer was the most highest of security professionalism you could have for an unarmed unit. I am also ex-forces and for these cuts on our secrets just goes to show the lengths ANY goverment will go to to, so say, cut costs! If, God forbid, we every had even a slim chance of an attack of any level of terrorisism, be it pyhical or computer viruses, we will have the Goverment bringing down the law of wboever was the unfotunate unit who had allowed it to have happened!! These people in charge live in a world where they think nobody or anything can get them. This is a real world of real people. Their first and foremost job is to protect an serve the very people who ARE protecting THEM!! Job cuts my eye! No protection, more crooks. What a future our children have. Protect your enviroment from the O-zone but make sure, when you take your waste to the bin, you carry a bullet proof vest!!! Job cuts.
Marcus - Bristol