Surrey Police have pulled out of a scheme which could have seen large parts of the force run by a private firm, writes Meg Kiseleva.

Surrey Police Authority confirmed it was ditching plans last week Under guidance from the Home Office, West Midlands and Surrey Police had advertised contracts worth £1.5bn to private companies to run their services.

Unite, whose police force members opposed the plans, said it would have meant putting core policing functions, including 999 call handling, into the hands of profits-first companies.

Peter Allenson, Unite national officer, said: “At last good sense has prevailed over sheer madness.

“We now expect the West Midlands Police Authority to do the same.”