No Justice for Jimmy Mubenga: G4S guards will not face charges

Ironically, on the same day that G4S' managing director Nick Buckles and Global Events manager Ian Horseman Sewell faced a Home Affairs Select Committee meeting about their failures to provide sufficient security staff for the Olympics, it has been revealed that neither G4S guards nor the company as a whole will face charges for the death of Jimmy Mubenga 21 months ago. 

Gaon Hart, senior crown advocate in the CPS special crime division, cited "conflicting witness accounts" about the manner of Mubenga's restraint as reasoning for insufficient evidence, despite the fact that the counsel found there was a "breach of duty" in the way Mubenga was held. He continued:

"In light of this, the experts unanimously concluded that given Mr Mubenga's physiological condition, having been in an agitated state before he died, they could not rule out that his death may have been caused by a combination of factors such as adrenalin, muscle exhaustion or isometric exercise.[...] It is not enough to tell a jury what may have caused a person's death; I have to have sufficient evidence that there is a realistic prospect of proving it to them beyond reasonable doubt, and in these circumstances the evidence did not satisfy that test."

Deborah Coles, the co-director of Inquest, a charity that helps to support the families of people who die in custody,  was understandably disappointed by the hearing:

"This is a shameful decision that flies in the face of the evidence about the dangerous use of force used against people being forcibly removed and the knowledge base that existed within G4S and the Home Office about the dangers of restraint techniques. It once again raises concerns about the quality of the investigations into deaths following the use of force by state agents and the decision-making process of the CPS." 

The court did find that there were serious short-comings in G4S' training for their deportation guards, but decided that this did not provide concrete proof that the guards in question - or the company as a whole - could be held responsible for the death of Jimmy Mubenga.

So as the whole country publicly abuses G4S for their inability to provide 13,000 security guards for the Olympic Games, it is worth remembering that the outcry after the death of Jimmy Mubenga was substantially quieter. Whilst G4S no longer hold the contract for forcible deportation, detainees are still at risk from excessive restraint techniques used by guards from another private security company, Reliance Security. Donna Covey, of the Refugee Council, made the following statement:  

“It is concerning that no individual or organisation is being held responsible for the tragic death of Jimmy Mubenga during a removal flight following the CPS’ decision today. Until this happens, the lives of people who continue to be enforcibly removed from the UK by security firms using dangerous restraint techniques remain at risk.

“The excessive use of restraint on detainees is unacceptable, and if enforced removals must be carried out, they must always be done in the safest way possible. The UK has a commitment to protecting people seeking safety in this country, so the UKBA and their sub-contractors must ensure those who have not been found to need protection here are at the very least returned to their home countries unharmed.”

Jimmy Mubenga will be remembered as devoted father and husband who died whilst in the hands of G4S. Whilst the company and the guards may never face charges, history and our memories will always tell a different story.

G4S looking for new PR Manager

As G4S' fall from grace continues to dominate media coverage, it comes as little surprise that they are looking for a new PR manager to help put a lovely glossy sheen on the situation. Advertised on LinkedIn, the new PR Manager will be expected to be confident in "managing incidents in line with company's crisis communications procedure"; a procedure that hasn't seemed too successful over the last few days.

Here, reproduced for your convenience, is the full job advert found at LinkedIn:

Job Description

The PR Manager will be responsible for the following:

Developing and delivering the PR plan and content strategy

Creating and maintaining relationships with key press contacts

Ongoing media handling

Identifying and exploiting forward feature/survey opportunities

Managing incidents in line with company’s crisis communications procedures

Developing and maintaining positioning statements

Establishing and maintaining evidence/case study database

Researching and writing relevant press releases, articles and content

Evaluating the success of the PR programme

Developing relationships with senior management and advising on PR opportunities

Providing media handling advice to senior management and operational personnel

Desired Skills & Experience

Key competencies

Experience in identifying, delivering  and maximising PR opportunities

Knowledge and understanding of the media and how it works is essential, alongside strong communication skills

Ability to establish contacts with relevant media

Proven track record of responding to high level reactive media enquiries

Demonstrable skills in briefing senior spokespeople and case studies for interview

Experience of media relations within a large commercial or public sector organization or within an agency

Drive and enthusiasm to succeed as part of a team

Highly conscientious and self-motivated

Flexible approach to demands of the role

Ability to work quickly under pressure

Personal credibility with key internal and external contacts

Confidence to work with colleagues across all levels of an organization

Confident with dealing with the demands of 24-hour media

Keen awareness of current affairs

Company Description

Do you have a good knowledge and understanding of the media?  Want to be part of a fast paced, dynamic Marketing team within a FTSE 100 organization? G4S, the UK’s leading security company, currently has an exciting opportunity for a PR Manager to join the team based in our Head Office.

 

Based in Sutton, Surrey, you’ll be responsible for managing Secure Solutions UK’s media programme, focused on protecting and promoting the brand, raising G4S’s profile in the industry and wider market place, and positioning G4S as a thought leader. 

The role will involve developing and delivering all PR-related activities for this diverse and growing business, as well as managing crisis communications effectively, with the aim of supporting business growth, enhancing the company’s reputation and protecting the brand.

 

Reporting to the Head of Marketing, the role holder will help build and manage the organization’s image and reputation across all media and stakeholder groups, and engage with relevant influencers to meet business objectives. This is a demanding role, which will involve daily contact with media.

 

If you have experience in identifying, delivering and maximising PR opportunities, and the drive and enthusiasm to succeed as part of a team, then this is an environment in which you will flourish.

Update: Nick Buckles, G4S Security Boss, apologies for Olympic failure

Humiliation does force people into doing some unforeseeable things. After G4S' initial refusal to give a statement  about their security shortages at the Olympic Games, today's press was littered with a flimsy apology from G4S' Security Boss, Nick Buckles. Here's a short extract:

"I began to know it was going wrong eight or nine days ago... Basically we are recruiting a large number of people and they are all working through a process of interview, two or three different degrees of training, licensing and accreditation.[...] It is only when you get closer to the Games, you realise that the number is not as high as you expect."

So, eight or nine days ago, Nick Buckles got wind of the fact that his own company could only provide a fraction of the security guards it was contracted to supply. Eight days ago was the 6th of July - the same day that Ian Horseman Sewell, managing director of G4S Global Events, told Reuters that G4S were gearing up for securing even more mega-contracts with other international events in 2012:

"We are keen to pursue events all over the globe and we do have the scale to do more than one thing at once. We are delivering a London Olympics now [and] I would certainly hope that we will be making at least one announcement in the rest of this year about other major overseas events that we have been successful with."

So either G4S' internal communications are so poor that information about this PR nightmare did not reach their press office in time (despite all their PR work done in house), or G4S' senior staff thought they may be able to crawl their way out of this mess. Unfortunately, no amount of spin or even the attempted coercion of ex-police officers to join their ranks (see this Guardian article) was able to paint over the cracks of this ridiculous affair. In Nick Buckle's own words, "we are very, very disappointed", but we're not surprised.

Nick Buckles, as seen on BBC News (14 July 2012)