Lord Prescott has launched a campaign to „keep the police public“, arguing that the radical proposal to extend the role of private security companies in policing „needs to be nipped in the bud“.

The former deputy prime minister, who intends to stand in the first elections for police and crime commissioners (PCC) this November, said he found the £1.5bn contract drawn up by the West Midlands and Surrey police inviting bids to provide a wide range of services to be a grave threat to traditional policing.