HMG reliance on Private Security costs soar to over £150 Mn.

Channel 4 have chivvied the Foreign Office using FOI procedures into detailing the costs of Private Security Firms (PSE's) for protecting their officials in Iraq and Afghanistan > £150 MN so far. A role, which as a taxpayer, is what I thought (evidently mistakenly), we had the Armed Forces to perform.

In Iraq, the amount the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has paid out for the services of these firms has risen from £19,121,598 in 2003/4; to £47,818,682 in 2005/6.

The most recent figures for Afghanistan show a 400% (ish) increase from £2,085,000 in 2004/05; to £8,543,000 in 2005/6.

4 firms benefit from this FO largesse : Control Risks Group, ArmorGroup, Kroll Security Group and Edinburgh Risk Security Management (ERSM).

The US company, ArmorGroup, was also paid for providing police advisors £3,700,172 in 2004/5 which more than doubled to £8,417,242 in 2005/6... the funds for this came from a separate Gubment pocket called Global Conflict Prevention Pool (Iraq Strategy). Considering the mayhem and general murder that dawn discloses every day in Baghdad one is left to wonder how well this money is allocated or used.

The original document from the FO is available here and is (Please take notice Craig Murray) "protected by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. " according to Timothy Less, Conflict Issues Group, Room w.3.132, FCO

Suggestions that the Household Cavalry, the Blue and Royals, (recently joined by the pubescent Royal offspring see pic of Prince Hal (note no Swastikas)) who do such a splendid job of protecting the sovereign could usefully be employed doing this job of protecting HMG 's Ambassadorial staff in Baghdad (and the new Consul in Kirkuk, let us not forget as Kurdistan approaches nationhood) and Kabul should perhaps be addressed to him.

Whilst the horses might seem a bit of an anachronism on today's hi-tech battelefield, if Taliban marksmanship with their trusty, rusty jezreel proves too effctive they could at least be eaten by the beleaguered forces in Helmand who seem to have problems getting a square meal these days.