It was revealed earlier this month that GEOAmey delivered inmates to court late 10,474 times in 10 months last year, and were previously fined around £4million over issues with their performance.
The escort firm is responsible for transporting prisoners to court and between jails.(Image: LightRocket via Getty Images)
Escort company GEOAmey has been replaced as the contractor responsible for the transport of prisoners around Scotland. The deal has now been awarded to facilities management firm Mitie, with the contract estimated to be worth £415 million.
It is set to begin in January 2027, ending in March 2035. The change comes after the previous deal with the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) had come under fire in recent years following a number of issues.
On January 13, a convicted rapist escaped from the custody of GEOAmey while being escorted to his sentencing hearing in Edinburgh.
Aaron Strachan, 21, who had previously admitted raping a 15-year-old girl in the capital, fled guards while being moved into a vehicle at the city’s High Court.
He was caught a short time later, with sentencing now deferred until March, the Daily Record reports.
As well as taking prisoners to court, the escort firm is also responsible for transporting them between jails and collecting them from police custody.
GEOAmey said they did not bid for the new SPS contract, with their current deal set to expire in 12 months.
It was revealed earlier this month that GEOAmey delivered inmates to court late 10,474 times in 10 months last year, and were previously fined around £4million over issues with their performance.
Late arrivals at court can delay hearings, leaving vulnerable witnesses waiting for hours.
In 2024, GEOAmey boss David Jones apologised for the firm’s failings in its contracts for prisoner transport.
Scotland’s Chief Inspector for Prisons, Wendy Sinclair-Gieben, accused the company of breaching the human rights of prisoners, claiming one inmate with stage four cancer missed three “vital” hospital appointments because of GEOAmey.
A separate report by watchdog Audit Scotland in 2023 revealed the SPS had taken action to improve the firm’s performance but this had “limited impact”.
The new contract with Mitie has been agreed by the SPS on behalf of Police Scotland, the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, the Crown Office, and the Scottish Government.
The prison service has said the new contract will deliver improvement in performance as well as value for money.
They say Mitie come with a proven track record and have successfully “delivered a large number of comparable services.” Their escort fleet has 133 vehicles- including one that is bulletproof.
Staff will wear body worn cameras and the vans will be fitted with trackers, live-stream CCTV, and alarms.
Sensory internal lighting will “promote a calm and safe environment” to reduce stress and anxiety among the occupants.
Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, said: “It is important that, working together, we deliver a prisoner escort contract that meets the needs of those in our care, our justice and health partners, and Scotland as a whole.”
Justice Secretary, Angela Constance added: “This contract ensures we continue to deliver essential services while securing the best possible outcome for the public purse.”
The SPS has said the new contract will include a performance-related fee and deliver a range of “economic and community benefits” including employment for five young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
A spokesperson for GEOAmey said: “GEOAmey made the very difficult decision not to participate in the Justice Partners Escorting and Court Custody Service procurement process, we therefore did not submit a bid to continue providing this service into the Scottish market.
“Having completed a full assessment of the newly proposed contract, we felt that the risk / reward profile fell below that deemed necessary to make this highly complex and demanding contract an attractive proposal.
“We will work diligently to ensure that we continue to deliver a high standard of service to our customers in Scotland for the remainder of the contract term, and work closely with the justice partners and the new provider to assist with a seamless transfer of responsibilities.”