G4S to provide stewards for the Games

G4S’s reputation was badly hit after it admitted it had not recruited and trained a promised number of venue guards for the 2012 Games, forcing Britain to call in troops to help cover the shortfall.

Yesterday it was confirmed that G4S is one of 19 firms invited to work at the Commonwealth games.

G4S is one of a group of companies enlisted to help provide safety stewarding, games organisers said yesterday.

A separate group, not including G4S, will provide venue security services, such as protection, patrols and surveillance.

All 19 companies, which have already been through a tendering process, will work alongside Scotland’s police force to help keep the July 23 to August 3 games safe.

G4S, the world’s largest security firm, has embarked on a shake-up of its business since last year’s Olympics failure, with a number of top level management leaving including chief executive Nick Buckles, who quit after a profit warning in May.

The group has also endured other problems in Britain and is being investigated by the Serious Fraud Office over its charging for an electronic tagging contract.

Earlier this month, its new CEO Ashley Almanza said the company had been damaged by a short-term focus and announced plans to restructure or sell 35 poorly performing businesses, tighten controls within the group and improve customer service.

With more than 620,000 employees, G4S is one of the largest employers on the London Stock Exchange

In Yorkshire, G4S provides security services for Northern Rail, and it is responsible for security at Job Centres.

It provides security and facilities management services for all HM Courts and tribunals premises, including Magistrates and Crown Courts. It also provides accommodation and support to asylum seekers in the region, on behalf of the Home Office.

G4S employs nearly 2,600 people in Yorkshire and the Hum- ber.

It provides security at Headingley cricket ground in Leeds.

G4S also provides electronic monitoring services of offenders on behalf of the Ministry of Justice across the region.