DOUBTS have been raised about the outsourcing of police vehicle maintenance work following concerns about the safety of the Metropolitan Police's emergency vehicles - and forces throughout the UK are being urged to reconsider external servicing contracts. The issue came to light following the launch of an inquiry by the Metropolitan Police into its £53 million maintenance and servicing contract with the Venson Group after drivers complained that vehicles were unsafe.

A statement from the Met said that some work was 'not up to the required standard' and that it was taking a 'rigorous' approach to addressing drivers' concerns. Glen Smythe, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, which has told officers to 'walk away' from vehicles they suspect to be unsafe, said: 'Every police force in the country should reappraise their outsourcing contracts in the light of the Met's inquiry.'