0:00:02 > 0:00:06This programme contains some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08'Well, I guess if you're reading this,
0:00:08 > 0:00:10'I've bought it.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14'I hope that my passing has not distressed any of you more than necessary,
0:00:14 > 0:00:18'Whatever its manner, pain, torment, or happening.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22'I would have endured it as a final test to my character and being.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24'You made me the man I was,
0:00:24 > 0:00:28'and the Parachute Regiment had merely defined me to everyone else.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31'I am incredibly proud to have been your son.
0:00:31 > 0:00:37'I love you all very much, and I'm so terribly sorry.'
0:00:37 > 0:00:40The final words of a young man
0:00:40 > 0:00:43killed in the line of duty.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47He was at the bottom end of one of Britain's most powerful
0:00:47 > 0:00:49and controversial industries.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51Magazine!
0:00:51 > 0:00:55The gun was put in his hand by G4S ArmorGroup.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59Some of them should still be alive today.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01You are a business, at the end of the day.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04Without them, my embassy would have had to close.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06What powers do you have?
0:01:06 > 0:01:08We don't have powers.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11'Tonight, Britain's private war.'
0:01:16 > 0:01:18Woah! (BLEEP)
0:01:18 > 0:01:20That was too (BLEEP) close!
0:01:33 > 0:01:37The armed sector of the private security industry
0:01:37 > 0:01:44is estimated to be worth, globally, as much as £400 billion.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47Where there's conflict, there are contracts.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50This is a programme about the outsourcing of war,
0:01:50 > 0:01:55the deaths of former soldiers the public aren't told about,
0:01:55 > 0:01:57and an unregulated industry
0:01:57 > 0:02:00which is getting rich in all our names.
0:02:07 > 0:02:13Our story begins with the last wishes of a young man.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18His will, I opened three days after he was killed.
0:02:18 > 0:02:24And there were a lot of poignant points in it.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29And I think...
0:02:29 > 0:02:35some of the things he wrote and said, I felt really quite proud of.
0:02:35 > 0:02:41I think they confirmed my opinion of him as a person.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45That person was Nic Crouch.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52He grew up in a cliff-top house on the Norfolk coast
0:02:52 > 0:02:57with his mother, Barbara, his father, Clive, and sister, Rebecca.
0:02:57 > 0:03:02His ambition as a young boy, had always been to join the Army.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Not just any regiment in the Army, but the Parachute Regiment,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08which he...
0:03:08 > 0:03:11thought was the best regiment the British Army at the time.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15I think he felt that it was a job he wanted to do,
0:03:15 > 0:03:18and was very, very, very proud.
0:03:18 > 0:03:23Nic served in the Paras for six years.
0:03:23 > 0:03:29He then decided to leave and retrain as a private security contractor.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36Nic was soon taken on by ArmorGroup,
0:03:36 > 0:03:38a British private security company
0:03:38 > 0:03:41which had contracts with the UK Government.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Those contracts were to protect Embassy staff
0:03:44 > 0:03:45working in Afghanistan,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48as well as visiting diplomats and ministers.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Work you may have thought was done by the military.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55There was Tony Blair - he looked after them.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Then when he got posted to Helmand,
0:03:57 > 0:03:59he was also assisting in the protection of Gordon Brown.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03- These were Government contracts? - Yes.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07In his spare time, Nic also volunteered to work
0:04:07 > 0:04:08in a hospital,
0:04:08 > 0:04:12helping those on both sides, wounded by the fighting.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16He and another colleague of his used to sort of help out,
0:04:16 > 0:04:19doing some quite... not complicated surgical procedures,
0:04:19 > 0:04:21but certainly things
0:04:21 > 0:04:25like bullet extraction, and shrapnel extraction, stitching people up.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29Nic then joined another British private security company.
0:04:29 > 0:04:30It was called Aegis.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Aegis had contracts with the American Government
0:04:34 > 0:04:35worth 293 million dollars,
0:04:35 > 0:04:39over three years to aid reconstruction in Iraq.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43Even though no longer a serving soldier, Nic felt he was still doing
0:04:43 > 0:04:46his bit for Britain and its allies.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50His job - to protect staff from the US Army Corps of Engineers,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54who were building a hospital in Mosul, in the north.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58I think he felt that health, a hospital -
0:04:58 > 0:05:03I mean, they needed it - was a worthwhile thing to have done
0:05:03 > 0:05:07and therefore, a worthwhile thing to protect the engineers.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19I was a lovely, sunny day,
0:05:19 > 0:05:24and I was hedge trimming with a large machine,
0:05:24 > 0:05:28and a police car pulled up at the gate...
0:05:28 > 0:05:33and his first question was,
0:05:33 > 0:05:37"Are you the parents of Nicolas Crouch?"
0:05:37 > 0:05:43And we knew straight away that it was, it was bad news.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45Erm...
0:05:45 > 0:05:51It was the 19th of July, 2010.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Nic had been escorting the army engineers to the hospital
0:05:54 > 0:05:57when a man driving a truck packed with explosives
0:05:57 > 0:05:59drove into the convoy.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Nic was killed instantly.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07Written in Nic's will, beneath his final goodbyes to his family,
0:06:07 > 0:06:11was a specific message he requested be made public
0:06:11 > 0:06:15about the use of private security contractors.
0:06:15 > 0:06:20"If I should be killed in Afghanistan or Iraq and the media is interested,
0:06:20 > 0:06:24"I would like them to know how I and all the other former soldiers
0:06:24 > 0:06:26"contributed to the great game.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28"I seek no personal glory,
0:06:28 > 0:06:31"but many good Paras and other ex-servicemen have died
0:06:31 > 0:06:33"supporting these operations,
0:06:33 > 0:06:35"with little or no acknowledgement to their bravery.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38"It is widely accepted that without us
0:06:38 > 0:06:40"the British and US forces couldn't operate."
0:06:46 > 0:06:52The final wish of Nic Crouch is where our investigation begins.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54He wanted the public to realise
0:06:54 > 0:06:58the vital work private security contractors do for the country.
0:06:58 > 0:07:03And the Government to acknowledge the industry that he worked for.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07Yet it's an industry immersed in and controversy and secrecy.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11And tonight, we find out why.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20EXPLOSIONS
0:07:22 > 0:07:27Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2003.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30The bloody finale to decades of civil oppression,
0:07:30 > 0:07:35international sanctions and a succession of wars.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38The battle was won and Saddam was gone.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41The challenge now - to rebuild a broken country.
0:07:48 > 0:07:56America announced an 18.4 billion dollar fund to rebuild Iraq.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00We will do what is necessary, we will spend what is necessary.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03This is one of the largest non-military budget requests
0:08:03 > 0:08:05in American history.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09It would mean rich pickings for the private security industry,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12tasked with guarding those responsible for the reconstruction.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14As the months progressed,
0:08:14 > 0:08:18security companies, the majority of them British,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21would come close to outnumbering the military.
0:08:21 > 0:08:26For those who bagged a contract, the financial rewards were huge.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29There were examples of small companies worth less than £50,000
0:08:29 > 0:08:34at the end of the war in 2003,
0:08:34 > 0:08:36one year later valued at 15 million.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Many doubled their turnover.
0:08:41 > 0:08:46In 2003, the collective annual revenue of British security firms
0:08:46 > 0:08:51totalled approximately £320 million.
0:08:51 > 0:08:57But by the following year, this figure exceeded £1.8 billion.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01If there was ever a 21st-century gold rush, this was it.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06And that battle for lucrative contracts is just as fierce today.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09But they come at a price.
0:09:09 > 0:09:15The British military has always had a disproportionate number of Scots.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18But when the financial floodgates opened,
0:09:18 > 0:09:23thousands left the army to become private security contractors.
0:09:23 > 0:09:24Peter was one of them.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27He's asked for his identity to be hidden,
0:09:27 > 0:09:30concerned he won't find work again after speaking out.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34In the last nine years, he's done 17 tours in Iraq and Afghanistan
0:09:34 > 0:09:38as a private contractor, protecting medical and food supply convoys,
0:09:38 > 0:09:42escorting ground troops, and training soldiers.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46Whilst some contracts were for private industry,
0:09:46 > 0:09:51many were for essential British and American government work
0:09:51 > 0:09:55I was a contractor to protect and run convoys
0:09:55 > 0:09:58for the US Corps of Engineers,
0:09:58 > 0:10:05but we were reconstructing the electricity from Basra to Baghdad.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07You're over there as protection.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09You're helping the US military,
0:10:09 > 0:10:12and whatever companies that's there to do their job safely.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15Make sure they get from A to B and don't die in-between.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19The military couldn't operate without the likes of us
0:10:19 > 0:10:24moving their equipment and running the convoys, etc.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28Taking their personnel different places, protecting them,
0:10:28 > 0:10:29they just couldn't do without us.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38This is footage taken by Peter of a heavily protected convoy
0:10:38 > 0:10:40travelling through southern Baghdad.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44Most days he would take his camera with him.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47He gave me the footage of his time there,
0:10:47 > 0:10:48it was to be a revealing insight
0:10:48 > 0:10:52into the often secretive world of private security.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55He also gave me a copy of his diary.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05'The movies are shit.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07'The sound of gunfire is completely different.'
0:11:08 > 0:11:12GUNSHOTS
0:11:12 > 0:11:14GUNSHOTS
0:11:14 > 0:11:16Wow! (BLEEP).
0:11:16 > 0:11:18That was too (BLEEP) close.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21'We're waiting to take an engineer from the Corps of Engineers
0:11:21 > 0:11:23'to inspect the power lines.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25'They're involved in the reconstruction of electricity
0:11:25 > 0:11:28'to southern Iraq as Saddam ruined the power supply
0:11:28 > 0:11:30'heading down to the Shia people in the South.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36'I feel very vulnerable as we've no weapons yet.'
0:11:36 > 0:11:39EXPLOSION
0:11:43 > 0:11:45'There was no armoured vehicles even,
0:11:45 > 0:11:47'they were soft-skin vehicles.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50'We used them in convoys in local cars.'
0:11:50 > 0:11:52You know, 4x4's? But no protection.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54No body armour, nothing.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57You were handed an AK, maybe about four magazines?
0:11:57 > 0:12:01If you were lucky, you'd get a pistol and that was it.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05Peter told me he thought the desperate scramble
0:12:05 > 0:12:07by companies to win the big-money contracts
0:12:07 > 0:12:10meant they often didn't have time
0:12:10 > 0:12:12to ensure the men were properly equipped.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16They were turning to local arms dealers to buy illegal weapons.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21You could buy anything, it was like, assault rifles,
0:12:21 > 0:12:23you had your AKs,
0:12:23 > 0:12:26you had pistols...
0:12:26 > 0:12:29ammunition, grenades,
0:12:29 > 0:12:31RPG's...
0:12:31 > 0:12:35it wasn't until the money was coming in for the contract that they'd say,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38"OK, maybe you should get some body armour now.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40"Maybe we should upgrade the weapons."
0:12:40 > 0:12:43It's impossible to verify everything
0:12:43 > 0:12:46Peter's telling me, but just before this interview,
0:12:46 > 0:12:48two British private security contractors
0:12:48 > 0:12:50were arrested for buying illegal weapons.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Although, in this case, no-one was saying
0:12:53 > 0:12:55the private security company was to blame.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01As well as inadequate equipment,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05Peter levelled a more serious accusation at the industry
0:13:05 > 0:13:08he's worked in for over nine years.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12He told me the pressure for companies to fulfil contracts,
0:13:12 > 0:13:16sometimes led missions to become more and more dangerous.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19The contractors call them black runs,
0:13:19 > 0:13:21because they know there's a high chance
0:13:21 > 0:13:23they'll be attacked.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27In this footage supplied by Peter,
0:13:27 > 0:13:31we see a private security team being shot at by insurgents.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36GUNSHOTS
0:13:37 > 0:13:40Keep going! Keep going! Keep going!
0:13:40 > 0:13:43You can see the bullets hit the side of the vehicles.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47GUNSHOTS
0:13:50 > 0:13:53The tyre comes of one of the cars.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55It's too dangerous for them to stop.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03This time, no one died,
0:14:03 > 0:14:05others weren't so lucky.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09A friend of mine was tasked to take
0:14:09 > 0:14:13some equipment to a US military camp from Baghdad.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16The locals said, you know,
0:14:16 > 0:14:19we can't go here, it's far too dangerous.
0:14:20 > 0:14:25But the company itself, you know, because of the contract...
0:14:25 > 0:14:28the US apparently needed this equipment,
0:14:28 > 0:14:30the company decided to go.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35Halfway there, the team was...
0:14:35 > 0:14:37completely surrounded and ambushed,
0:14:37 > 0:14:41we were listening to it on the open mic.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47My friend was screaming for back-up.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51We could hear them all just dying, one by one.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55'Til eventually...
0:14:55 > 0:14:58my friend was killed, shot in the stomach.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01If it was that dangerous and they knew it was that dangerous,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03why did they go?
0:15:03 > 0:15:06If your boss turns round to the contractors,
0:15:06 > 0:15:11the companies, and says, "Look, we can't do this",
0:15:11 > 0:15:13then it gives them a bad name, for a start.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21In modern conflict, there's often little distinction made
0:15:21 > 0:15:23between military and private security.
0:15:27 > 0:15:32Contractors doing essential work for British and American armed forces
0:15:32 > 0:15:36are often seen as legitimate targets and are losing lives.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49Many may recall the horrific scenes from Fallujah
0:15:49 > 0:15:53which were broadcast around the world.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55Four mutilated and badly burned bodies
0:15:55 > 0:15:57are dragged through the streets,
0:15:57 > 0:16:01a baying mob then hangs them for the world to see.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04Many thought they were soldiers, they were, in fact,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07private security contractors, ambushed,
0:16:07 > 0:16:10then brutally executed.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13In a war zone, death is an accepted risk,
0:16:13 > 0:16:17but as security companies seek to keep profits high,
0:16:17 > 0:16:20is there a danger that that commercial pressure
0:16:20 > 0:16:24will turn risk into recklessness?
0:16:27 > 0:16:31Dundee-born Bob Sheperd served in the SAS for 20 years,
0:16:31 > 0:16:35witnessing some of the world's bloodiest conflicts.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40After leaving, he worked as a private security contractor
0:16:40 > 0:16:43in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46As well as working on commercial contracts,
0:16:46 > 0:16:47he was also paid by the British government
0:16:47 > 0:16:50to help protect State-funded projects.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54He was soon to discover the lengths some companies would go to
0:16:54 > 0:16:57to keep their lucrative contracts.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01Some of these companies, they know, which are the dangerous routes,
0:17:01 > 0:17:05which are the less dangerous routes and I'll give you one example.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09A logistical manager, who knew that I wasn't happy, he wasn't happy either
0:17:09 > 0:17:13and he decided to show me what he had on his computer.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16They were running convoys in Iraq
0:17:16 > 0:17:19and they knew, because they had a colour code
0:17:19 > 0:17:24what the chances were of certain convoys running certain routes
0:17:24 > 0:17:27and certain convoys running other routes.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31They had a convoy route
0:17:31 > 0:17:34that they knew had an 80 percent chance
0:17:34 > 0:17:37of being hit every time they went out.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41This means some of the companies knew which routes
0:17:41 > 0:17:44were the most dangerous for convoys.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47I wanted to know how many security contractors
0:17:47 > 0:17:49had died doing their job.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Military deaths are recorded officially by government,
0:17:52 > 0:17:55but for dead private security contractors,
0:17:55 > 0:17:57there's no such database.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01Instead, various unofficial websites like this one
0:18:01 > 0:18:03keep only partial lists.
0:18:03 > 0:18:08We found 55 British deaths recorded in Iraq alone.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10There's no list for Afghanistan.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14The Foreign Office awards nearly all private security contracts
0:18:14 > 0:18:16on behalf of the government.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20They said they didn't keep a record of contractor fatalities,
0:18:20 > 0:18:25instead relying on the companies to monitor incidents and report back.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28Officially they could only tell us of seven deaths
0:18:28 > 0:18:31which they'd been alerted to by the companies.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37We know when a soldier dies, it's all over the newspapers, it's on the TV,
0:18:37 > 0:18:40but we never know when security contractors die,
0:18:40 > 0:18:44so you've got lads coming back in the bellies of commercial aircraft
0:18:44 > 0:18:48being repatriated to the UK blindly.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52They're hidden away, they're ferried off to a quiet family funeral
0:18:52 > 0:18:55and the companies are telling them what a brave soul he was
0:18:55 > 0:18:57and how great he was for the company.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59Bob has his own theory
0:18:59 > 0:19:02as to why the deaths of private security contractors
0:19:02 > 0:19:04aren't made more public.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06For the companies, it's bad for business.
0:19:06 > 0:19:11For the government, it's hiding the true cost of these conflicts.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13If the British taxpayers knew
0:19:13 > 0:19:16the total numbers of people that had died
0:19:16 > 0:19:19on behalf of British security companies,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, they would be shocked.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25What Bob told me next
0:19:25 > 0:19:28may go some way to explaining why it's so difficult
0:19:28 > 0:19:31to get to the truth of what happens.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34There've been incidences that I'm very privvy of,
0:19:34 > 0:19:38where a convoy has been blown off the road
0:19:38 > 0:19:39and people have been killed.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44And, the convoy commander, if he or she is still alive,
0:19:44 > 0:19:48will be the one that writes the post-operation report,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51or the post-incident report.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55That report is then taken away by the company and it's sanitised
0:19:55 > 0:19:58to ensure that the company looks good.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00Not only does the family of the deceased,
0:20:00 > 0:20:04see the sanitised report, if indeed they see a report,
0:20:04 > 0:20:06the people working for the company,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09the contractors that are on other contracts around the country,
0:20:09 > 0:20:11don't even get to see the real report,
0:20:11 > 0:20:13they'll get to see the sanitised report,
0:20:13 > 0:20:15so nobody learns from it.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19I spoke to other contractors who told me similar stories
0:20:19 > 0:20:21of incident reports being changed
0:20:21 > 0:20:23and a Senate hearing in the States
0:20:23 > 0:20:27heard whistleblowers tell of documents which contained lies.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30Appalled by all that he witnessed,
0:20:30 > 0:20:32Bob turned his back on the industry.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34I am an angry man.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36I'm bitterly disgusted
0:20:36 > 0:20:40because there are some very decent young lads who I met,
0:20:40 > 0:20:44ex-Paras, ex-Marines, ex-infantry, ex-Corps...
0:20:44 > 0:20:46and they're dead now.
0:20:46 > 0:20:51And I know, deep down, that some of them should still be alive today.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59Every year the government spends millions
0:20:59 > 0:21:01employing private security companies
0:21:01 > 0:21:04to protect British projects around the world.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06Now, that's taxpayers' money.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10So, I want to know exactly how much it's costing us.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15We asked the Foreign Office how much it spends.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18Since 2003, it's paid out
0:21:18 > 0:21:21£454 million
0:21:21 > 0:21:25and that doesn't include further local contracts
0:21:25 > 0:21:29awarded to security companies in the countries themselves.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37Sir William Patey was Britain's ambassador in Afghanistan
0:21:37 > 0:21:39until June of this year -
0:21:39 > 0:21:42a post he also held in Sudan and Iraq.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45He believes the work of private security companies
0:21:45 > 0:21:49or PSCs, in areas like the Middle East, are vital.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53- Hello, Sir William. - Sam, hi.- Nice to meet you.- Welcome.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55I hope the journey wasn't too arduous?
0:21:55 > 0:21:59My embassy would have had to close without a PSC
0:21:59 > 0:22:04or reduced to a minimum number and drawn troops away
0:22:04 > 0:22:07from their duties in Helmand to protect us.
0:22:12 > 0:22:13In August last year,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16the headquarters of the British Council in Kabul
0:22:16 > 0:22:19was attacked by insurgents. Sir William says
0:22:19 > 0:22:24it was private security contractors who saved the lives of his staff.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28They kept firing as the terrorists were coming through the gates.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30While the other members were getting my staff to safety
0:22:30 > 0:22:33and keeping them under cover until the special forces could come.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37Without the private security companies,
0:22:37 > 0:22:42the British government wouldn't be able to operate in Afghanistan
0:22:42 > 0:22:44or the American government,
0:22:44 > 0:22:47even the military rely on the private security companies
0:22:47 > 0:22:50to provide security for convoys,
0:22:50 > 0:22:54for static guarding, there aren't enough troops to do all of that.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56So, if they had to do all of that,
0:22:56 > 0:23:00they would be much less effective. It would be too expensive.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04Therefore, you would be driven to PSCs
0:23:04 > 0:23:07on the grounds of efficiency and effectiveness.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09That's what it comes down to, money?
0:23:09 > 0:23:11It's cheaper for the British government
0:23:11 > 0:23:14to take in a PSC contractor rather then use the military?
0:23:14 > 0:23:19Absolutely. I mean, the taxpayer should applaud that.
0:23:19 > 0:23:20In a time of austerity,
0:23:20 > 0:23:25you want to give the highest degree of security at the minimum cost.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27Just days after the interview,
0:23:27 > 0:23:30it's announced that the number of British troops
0:23:30 > 0:23:33are to be cut by 20,000
0:23:33 > 0:23:36over the next eight years.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38We have to change and adapt
0:23:38 > 0:23:42and that means letting go as well as building anew.
0:23:42 > 0:23:47Thinking innovatively about how combat service support is provided,
0:23:47 > 0:23:51using more systematically the skills available in the reserve
0:23:51 > 0:23:53and from our contractors.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56We're already relying heavily on private security.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00Less military will mean an even greater reliance.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04And more contracts for the companies,
0:24:04 > 0:24:06means more boots needed on the ground.
0:24:18 > 0:24:23The European Security Academy on the outskirts of Poznan in Poland.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27It's the biggest security training centre outside the United States.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31And it's where increasing numbers of Britain's latest recruits
0:24:31 > 0:24:35to the world of armed private security come to train.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41GUNSHOT
0:24:43 > 0:24:47GUNSHOTS
0:24:47 > 0:24:49John Geddes is former SAS.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51After leaving the military,
0:24:51 > 0:24:54he became a private security contractor.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57He now runs one of Britain's largest training companies
0:24:57 > 0:25:01and brings the students here to Poland as part of the course.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05Around a fifth of those he trains come from Scotland.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09Ronin Concepts is a broad spectrum security company.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12Our main bread-and-butter work is close protection training
0:25:12 > 0:25:16for the emerging industry at the moment.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21Every month, dozens of recruits are trained by him.
0:25:21 > 0:25:26Almost all are serving soldiers, looking to leave the forces
0:25:26 > 0:25:29and get into private security.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32The first thing we'll do is
0:25:32 > 0:25:34five rounds from a standing position.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40The bulk of the course takes place in Hereford,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43but because of UK firearms legislation,
0:25:43 > 0:25:48the final week is here in Poland,
0:25:48 > 0:25:52where the students undergo intensive close protection weapons training.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56It's a skill which requires a different mindset
0:25:56 > 0:25:57than that of a soldier.
0:25:57 > 0:26:02It's getting them out of the habit of an aggressive stance,
0:26:02 > 0:26:03going into a combat role,
0:26:03 > 0:26:09and giving them the mindset of being in a defensive situation
0:26:09 > 0:26:11where the priority is to get your client
0:26:11 > 0:26:13out of the ambush area and back home and safe.
0:26:13 > 0:26:19The course these men are doing costs almost £4,000.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22It's a lot of money for those on a soldier's wage.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25I was to discover something rather surprising
0:26:25 > 0:26:30about exactly who funds the students who come here to retrain.
0:26:30 > 0:26:31Advance.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36'The Army fund these guys to come and do this course right from day one.'
0:26:36 > 0:26:40That is the individual's choice, to go for a course that covers
0:26:40 > 0:26:44just executive protection, or a company like us that covers both.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49The essence of this kind of training is, they go into civilian life,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52into a direction which suits their psychology.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56Nice tight formation. Advance.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Of all the students on John's course,
0:26:58 > 0:27:0285% will have the bill paid for them by the government.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07It's part of their resettlement programme
0:27:07 > 0:27:09to prepare them for civilian life.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13That's the right principle. Get into a diamond formation and move out.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17It means that as the military sheds jobs
0:27:17 > 0:27:20the government is actually funding the transfer of soldiers
0:27:20 > 0:27:23into the private security sector.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29OK, position.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32Peter McCalla is former Polish special forces.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35He's responsible for training the British students
0:27:35 > 0:27:40on a wider range of weapons than they'd normally use in the military.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48OK, yes.
0:27:50 > 0:27:51Good.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00OK, take the mag out.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04OK, come.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09It is very good. I am already scared!
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Where have you been training?
0:28:20 > 0:28:24- See where that round is?- Yeah. - Right in the centre.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26What kind of money can you expect to earn in a day?
0:28:26 > 0:28:30You are probably looking at... Depending on where you're working
0:28:30 > 0:28:34and what part of the world, £150-£300 a day.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37How does that compare to the military pay?
0:28:37 > 0:28:40If you're a private soldier, you're probably on 16 or £17,000 a year,
0:28:40 > 0:28:44so if you've got guys who have been five or six years in the military,
0:28:44 > 0:28:47even as lance corporals, they're still going to make more money
0:28:47 > 0:28:51doing hostile environment work in Afghanistan or Iraq.
0:28:51 > 0:28:55- As private security contractors? - Yeah, yeah, yeah. Without a doubt.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57And that's why a lot of guys are getting out.
0:28:57 > 0:29:02I'm in the Marines, serving at 45 Commando up in Arbroath.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06I've been there eight years now, all my career.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08Once I've done this course, got my license,
0:29:08 > 0:29:11I'll going to try for early release, get out as quick as I can,
0:29:11 > 0:29:15get out of the military and then hopefully get a good contract.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20In only a matter of weeks, John's students
0:29:20 > 0:29:25will be providing protection in some of the world's most hostile areas.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28It's now time for the men to put into practice
0:29:28 > 0:29:29what they've been taught.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34Move right! Move right!
0:29:34 > 0:29:37Back up! Back up!
0:29:43 > 0:29:45Magazine!
0:29:46 > 0:29:48Move.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52Nice and tight, keep it tight.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55Go, go, go, go!
0:29:55 > 0:29:58Let's go.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03God.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05Oh, my God.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08Just get my breath back.
0:30:08 > 0:30:09That's awful.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11Loud, so loud you can't concentrate on anything,
0:30:11 > 0:30:13and I wasn't even firing the guns.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17And the one thing you have to keep telling yourself is
0:30:17 > 0:30:20that this is a training exercise and nobody is firing back.
0:30:30 > 0:30:34The Government has to make 20,000 soldiers redundant.
0:30:34 > 0:30:39So, paying for men like these to retrain is a clever move.
0:30:39 > 0:30:43It means the military gets the job cuts it wants
0:30:43 > 0:30:46and the private sector the Government relies on so heavily
0:30:46 > 0:30:50gets an even larger pool of highly trained contractors.
0:30:50 > 0:30:54But, despite all the training in the world,
0:30:54 > 0:30:57in an industry with no statutory regulation
0:30:57 > 0:30:59and massive commercial pressure,
0:30:59 > 0:31:04will the lives of men like these be put at unnecessary risk?
0:31:15 > 0:31:18OK, Sam, this is our International Operations Centre,
0:31:18 > 0:31:21which monitors most of our operations around the world.
0:31:21 > 0:31:25'Bill Freear runs the UK-based security company, Pilgrims Group.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28'They are contracted by the Government to train
0:31:28 > 0:31:30'all Foreign Office staff around the world,
0:31:30 > 0:31:34'and they also provide protection overseas for media organisations,
0:31:34 > 0:31:35'like the BBC.
0:31:35 > 0:31:40'Yet, when it comes to bidding for the big-money protection contracts,
0:31:40 > 0:31:43'it seems a solid reputation may not be enough.'
0:31:43 > 0:31:46The frustrating thing for companies like Pilgrims
0:31:46 > 0:31:50is that we have a 100% safety record - touch wood.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54We've never had any injuries, we've never lost anybody,
0:31:54 > 0:31:56clients or our own people.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00And yet, when we are in competition
0:32:00 > 0:32:03with other security companies who, quite honestly,
0:32:03 > 0:32:07have a list as long as their arm of things that have gone wrong,
0:32:07 > 0:32:10the questions come at us about our price,
0:32:10 > 0:32:13not about the quality of service that we're offering,
0:32:13 > 0:32:17and why we may be a little bit more expensive.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21So we are, in almost all cases,
0:32:21 > 0:32:24marked and judged on what price we are offering.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27Are you ever asked, "How many have you lost?"
0:32:28 > 0:32:31Is it really just down to price?
0:32:31 > 0:32:35We include those facts in our tender bids,
0:32:35 > 0:32:38but we are very rarely asked that question, if ever.
0:32:39 > 0:32:41'Bill told me he wasn't prepared
0:32:41 > 0:32:48'to compromise his company's reputation just to get a contract.'
0:32:48 > 0:32:51Is it difficult to be principled in this industry?
0:32:51 > 0:32:56Yes. If you want to survive and you want to be commercially successful,
0:32:56 > 0:32:59- it's very difficult. - To be principled?- Yes.
0:32:59 > 0:33:03And some of our competitors have grown much faster than us,
0:33:03 > 0:33:06quadrupled in size in comparison to our growth,
0:33:06 > 0:33:09and that's partly because of our principles
0:33:09 > 0:33:12and because we won't cut corners.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19It's all about the bottom line.
0:33:19 > 0:33:21And that's all they're interested in,
0:33:21 > 0:33:23that's all these big companies are interested in.
0:33:23 > 0:33:27And I've heard them say that, in theatre,
0:33:27 > 0:33:29where they've spoken over breakfast,
0:33:29 > 0:33:33visiting the contracts that they have on the ground,
0:33:33 > 0:33:36in their suits, saying it's all about the bottom line.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40So, the contract and the profits to be made are everything?
0:33:40 > 0:33:41Absolutely.
0:33:41 > 0:33:46The allegation that profits are being put before lives
0:33:46 > 0:33:48is shocking, to say the least.
0:33:48 > 0:33:53But an unregulated industry means there's no forced accountability,
0:33:53 > 0:33:57so I have no way of proving that what I'm hearing is true or not.
0:33:57 > 0:34:03Surely, though, if some of these contracts are funded by taxpayers,
0:34:03 > 0:34:07they should be open to a higher degree of public scrutiny.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09Many of Britain's private security companies
0:34:09 > 0:34:12are entirely professional.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15But, sometimes, even the most reputable players
0:34:15 > 0:34:17can succumb to commercial pressure.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25'She's got away to a good start...'
0:34:25 > 0:34:29'Who's going to get it? Chris Hoy gets the gold medal!'
0:34:29 > 0:34:32The biggest security company in the world
0:34:32 > 0:34:34is British firm, G4S.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36You may have heard of them.
0:34:36 > 0:34:38They're the company which ran into a spot of bother
0:34:38 > 0:34:41for failing to deliver on its contract
0:34:41 > 0:34:46to provide security for the London 2012 Olympics.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54We've had a fantastic track record of service delivery
0:34:54 > 0:34:57over many years, in many countries
0:34:57 > 0:35:00but, clearly, this is not a good position to be in.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03We feel we've got to make every endeavour
0:35:03 > 0:35:07to deliver as well as we can on this contract.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09It's a humiliating shambles, isn't it?
0:35:09 > 0:35:13It's not where we'd want to be, that is certain.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16It's a humiliating shambles for the company. Yes or no?
0:35:17 > 0:35:20I cannot disagree with you.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22Looking on the internet,
0:35:22 > 0:35:25it's easy to see that G4S has a wide repertoire,
0:35:25 > 0:35:29doing everything from prisoner transport to reading your gas meter.
0:35:29 > 0:35:31It even has its own corporate song.
0:35:31 > 0:35:36# Our mission is to maintain the peace
0:35:36 > 0:35:37# But make no mistake
0:35:37 > 0:35:40# We'll face the beast We'll back him down... #
0:35:40 > 0:35:44A lucrative aspect of its multi-billion pound business
0:35:44 > 0:35:48is providing armed protection in hostile environments,
0:35:48 > 0:35:50such as Iraq and Afghanistan.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54There, it also operates under the name ArmorGroup.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03I managed to make contact with the man
0:36:03 > 0:36:06who'd worked for G4S ArmorGroup as their country manager
0:36:06 > 0:36:10for both Iraq and, then, Afghanistan.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13- Bill?- Hi, pleased to meet you.
0:36:13 > 0:36:18He now lives abroad, but agreed to fly back to London to meet me.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20He was responsible for ensuring
0:36:20 > 0:36:23the contract was fulfilled on the ground.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26First of all, the office in London needs to win the contract.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29They then pass that back to the in-country team
0:36:29 > 0:36:31to deliver the contract.
0:36:31 > 0:36:37You were normally given a 28-day window to ramp up.
0:36:37 > 0:36:41And what I mean by ramp up is to bring in all the manpower,
0:36:41 > 0:36:44all the vehicles, all the resources,
0:36:44 > 0:36:48everything that was required to run that contract,
0:36:48 > 0:36:51so that 28 days later,
0:36:51 > 0:36:54it would be fully operational.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57Now, if it wasn't fully operational at any time,
0:36:57 > 0:37:01the company would start losing an allowance every day.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04They lose part of the contract. Money.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07Which, on average, for one particular run,
0:37:07 > 0:37:09could be 16,000 a day.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13In those 28 days, the company also has to ensure
0:37:13 > 0:37:17that every man being deployed is properly vetted.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21Were there are occasions when these checks weren't able to be done
0:37:21 > 0:37:23because of time constraints?
0:37:23 > 0:37:25There were probably two or three occasions
0:37:25 > 0:37:28when the men were still being vetted whilst on the ground.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31Somebody may not come back from leave,
0:37:31 > 0:37:35we may have a serious casualty, so we've got to replace
0:37:35 > 0:37:38that ex-patriot operator as soon as possible.
0:37:38 > 0:37:42The pressure is then on - do we lose the money,
0:37:42 > 0:37:45or does London get the man out there straight away?
0:37:45 > 0:37:49Bill told me the commercial pressures placed on them
0:37:49 > 0:37:50were enormous.
0:37:50 > 0:37:54You are a business, at the end of the day. It's like any business.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57For the operators and managers on the ground,
0:37:57 > 0:38:01you're constantly being given pressure to make money,
0:38:01 > 0:38:06and make more money, and not cut corners,
0:38:06 > 0:38:09but cut areas where you can manage
0:38:09 > 0:38:12without extra men, without the extra equipment.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14Did that sit comfortably with you?
0:38:14 > 0:38:18My focus and priority has always been operations,
0:38:18 > 0:38:24welfare and discipline, and looking after the operator on the ground.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28And then, when they throw into the works as well... Well, yes...
0:38:28 > 0:38:32Constantly, you've got to look for more profit, more margin.
0:38:32 > 0:38:33But there are consequences?
0:38:34 > 0:38:36Yes.
0:38:36 > 0:38:41The consequences are that you end up doing far too many things
0:38:41 > 0:38:43with far too few people.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45And that is when mistakes can be made.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51Were these mistakes, brought about
0:38:51 > 0:38:54by massive commercial pressure to fulfil contracts,
0:38:54 > 0:38:58responsible for the murders of two G4S contractors in Iraq?
0:39:04 > 0:39:07The Borders town of Peebles.
0:39:07 > 0:39:12Childhood home to Paul McGuigan, who grew up here with his family.
0:39:12 > 0:39:16At the age of 19, he joined the Royal Marines.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19He was proud to wear the uniform, and he was...
0:39:19 > 0:39:22He just loved what he was doing.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26He was always polishing his boots.
0:39:27 > 0:39:32That was always the big joke, he was always polishing his boots.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35The whole life, he thought it was incredible,
0:39:35 > 0:39:37and he was so proud to be serving his country.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41After seven years in the Marines,
0:39:41 > 0:39:44Paul decided to retrain as a private security contractor.
0:39:44 > 0:39:48Like Nick Crouch, he went on a course paid for by the Government
0:39:48 > 0:39:51as part of his resettlement package.
0:39:51 > 0:39:57Soon, he was out in Iraq, working on a Government contract.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01He was happy to be where he was, helping to rebuild the country.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03And the kids that were out there...
0:40:03 > 0:40:07He loved the feeling that he was helping. He was in his element.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18Another contractor who was out on the circuit
0:40:18 > 0:40:21was former paratrooper Danny Fitzsimons.
0:40:21 > 0:40:27Danny was the one who always, always wanted to be in the Army.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31He used to send Eric letters, when he first went in the Army,
0:40:31 > 0:40:33and some of the letters were fantastic.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36"Dad, I'm doing this.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39"In the training, I was first when we did the run
0:40:39 > 0:40:42- "and I've done so many press ups." Didn't he?- Yeah.
0:40:42 > 0:40:46- He wanted to please them. - Oh, yeah. Yeah.
0:40:46 > 0:40:48On 9 August 2009,
0:40:48 > 0:40:54Paul McGuigan's parents received a phone call from his fiancee.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56She said, "There's been an accident.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58"There's been an accident. Paul's dead."
0:40:58 > 0:41:02And I said, "No, don't be silly. How could there be an accident?"
0:41:02 > 0:41:04Just saying, "But there couldn't have been an accident.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07"Paul wasn't working, he wasn't on duty."
0:41:07 > 0:41:10Eric's phone went, with a message, and it just said,
0:41:10 > 0:41:12"I think your Danny's in trouble in Iraq."
0:41:12 > 0:41:14It was one of Danny's friends.
0:41:14 > 0:41:16He didn't know exactly what had happened,
0:41:16 > 0:41:20but he said, "I think he's shot somebody."
0:41:20 > 0:41:24There had been some sort of altercation in the camp,
0:41:24 > 0:41:28and that Paul and an Australian, Darren Hoare,
0:41:28 > 0:41:29had been killed, shot and killed.
0:41:29 > 0:41:33Well, he rang back a couple of minutes later and said to me,
0:41:33 > 0:41:37"If you Google the Washington Post, it's in the Washington Post."
0:41:39 > 0:41:45It said that there'd been a shooting in Iraq,
0:41:45 > 0:41:50and it named Danny as having shot two men in Iraq.
0:41:50 > 0:41:54Unbelievably, what the families had been told was true.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58Just a few hours after picking up Danny Fitzsimons
0:41:58 > 0:42:02from Baghdad airport, Paul McGuigan and his colleague were dead.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07He was shot three times.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14Twice in the chest.
0:42:17 > 0:42:21And they weren't killer shots.
0:42:21 > 0:42:25And then, a gun was put into his mouth
0:42:25 > 0:42:28and he was shot in the mouth,
0:42:28 > 0:42:30which severed his spinal cord.
0:42:32 > 0:42:36A security guard who killed two colleagues in Baghdad
0:42:36 > 0:42:39is due to find out today if he will face the death penalty.
0:42:39 > 0:42:43Danny Fitzsimons has been sentenced to 20 years in an Iraqi prison.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46He's the first Westerner to be put on trial in Iraq
0:42:46 > 0:42:49since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
0:42:49 > 0:42:53Danny Fitzsimons killed two of his G4S colleagues.
0:42:53 > 0:42:58He pulled the trigger. Of that, there's no doubt.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01But there's a mountain of evidence about Fitzsimons
0:43:01 > 0:43:04which should have set the alarm bells ringing for G4S
0:43:04 > 0:43:07long before he was ever taken on.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12Before joining G4S,
0:43:12 > 0:43:16Danny Fitzsimons had already done four stints in Iraq
0:43:16 > 0:43:19as a private security contractor.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22But, he'd been sacked from the last job
0:43:22 > 0:43:24after punching one of his clients.
0:43:24 > 0:43:29Back home, he was also facing criminal charges of assault
0:43:29 > 0:43:33and a firearms offence, and he already had convictions for
0:43:33 > 0:43:36possessing illegal ammunition and robbery.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41I managed to get hold of a psychiatric report
0:43:41 > 0:43:46compiled for Fitzsimons' legal team for one of the criminal cases.
0:43:46 > 0:43:48In it, it states Fitzsimons had been
0:43:48 > 0:43:51administratively discharged from the Army
0:43:51 > 0:43:55on psychological and disciplinary grounds.
0:43:55 > 0:43:59He was also suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,
0:43:59 > 0:44:03brought on by witnessing colleagues' deaths in Kosovo and Iraq.
0:44:04 > 0:44:10So, not only was Fitzsimons still on bail,
0:44:10 > 0:44:12not only was he supposed to be
0:44:12 > 0:44:15under the supervision of probation officers,
0:44:15 > 0:44:21but he was also under the care of a community psychiatric nurse.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24Despite all of this readily available information,
0:44:24 > 0:44:26from Army records,
0:44:26 > 0:44:28from medical records,
0:44:28 > 0:44:30from criminal background checks,
0:44:30 > 0:44:34G4S still took him on.
0:44:36 > 0:44:38But, that's not all.
0:44:38 > 0:44:43We've discovered that G4S were sent warnings about Fitzsimons
0:44:43 > 0:44:47in the days leading up to the killings.
0:44:47 > 0:44:50What was weird at that particular time was that
0:44:50 > 0:44:52a new chap had arrived. He'd gone into location,
0:44:52 > 0:44:56straight into location in the Green Zone,
0:44:56 > 0:45:00and in less than 36 hours, there'd been a shooting incident
0:45:00 > 0:45:03where this particular individual
0:45:03 > 0:45:06had shot two expats and killed them,
0:45:06 > 0:45:09and the words used at the time were "executed".
0:45:09 > 0:45:12As the information was coming through,
0:45:12 > 0:45:17one of my very good operators came to me and said,
0:45:17 > 0:45:19"I've got some confidential information.
0:45:19 > 0:45:23"I can't speak to you, because you are my main manager.
0:45:23 > 0:45:27"I need to speak to the country manager immediately."
0:45:27 > 0:45:30The operator told the country manager
0:45:30 > 0:45:34that he'd sent several anonymous e-mails to G4S in London,
0:45:34 > 0:45:38alerting them to Fitzsimons' background.
0:45:38 > 0:45:41We managed to track down the man who sent them.
0:45:41 > 0:45:43He's still working in the Middle East,
0:45:43 > 0:45:45and didn't want to be identified.
0:45:45 > 0:45:48But he agreed to let me have the e-mails.
0:45:50 > 0:45:53'I'm concerned that you've accepted to employ a violent criminal
0:45:53 > 0:45:56'by the name of Danny Fitzsimons from Manchester.
0:45:56 > 0:46:00'I am alarmed that he will shortly be allowed to handle a weapon
0:46:00 > 0:46:02'and be exposed to members of the public.
0:46:02 > 0:46:04'I'm speaking out because I feel
0:46:04 > 0:46:06'that people should not be put at risk.'
0:46:11 > 0:46:13Three days pass.
0:46:14 > 0:46:18G4S fail to respond to the e-mail.
0:46:20 > 0:46:25So concerned was he that his warning had gone unanswered,
0:46:25 > 0:46:28that he decided to send a second one.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37'I am disgusted that this individual will gain a job
0:46:37 > 0:46:38'with such a large company.
0:46:38 > 0:46:41'It will just fuel his lust for violence.
0:46:41 > 0:46:45'Surely you must have some duty of care to not allow this to happen?
0:46:45 > 0:46:47'This is not the type of thing you would wish
0:46:47 > 0:46:50'G4S to have to account for in the media.'
0:46:51 > 0:46:56Despite Danny Fitzsimons' deployment date fast approaching,
0:46:56 > 0:46:59the e-mails remain unanswered.
0:47:02 > 0:47:05He decides to send one last warning.
0:47:05 > 0:47:08Fitzsimons was already due in Baghdad.
0:47:11 > 0:47:13'Dear Sirs, having made you aware of the issues
0:47:13 > 0:47:16'regarding the violent criminal Danny Fitzsimons,
0:47:16 > 0:47:19'it has been noted that you have not taken my advice
0:47:19 > 0:47:22'and still choose to employ him in a position of trust.
0:47:22 > 0:47:26'I have told you that he remains a threat, and you have done nothing.'
0:47:28 > 0:47:31But it was too late.
0:47:31 > 0:47:37Paul McGuigan and Darren Hoare are shot dead by Danny Fitzsimons.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39What if I told you that
0:47:39 > 0:47:45G4S had been warned about Danny before they employed him,
0:47:45 > 0:47:51and those warnings came in the form of several e-mails to the company?
0:47:51 > 0:47:53And they still took him out there?
0:47:53 > 0:47:56And they still, clearly, took him out there.
0:47:56 > 0:48:01Well, I'd be so angry. I'd be absolutely distraught. I'd be...
0:48:01 > 0:48:05Do you still have evidence for that? Yeah?
0:48:05 > 0:48:07- We have his e-mails.- Right.
0:48:07 > 0:48:09They really need taken to task for that.
0:48:09 > 0:48:14Why? Why not heed such a strong warning?
0:48:15 > 0:48:17Why not listen to that warning?
0:48:17 > 0:48:21Surely alarm bells should have started ringing there?
0:48:28 > 0:48:33Now, we did ask G4S for an interview, but they declined.
0:48:33 > 0:48:36They did, however, give us this statement.
0:49:01 > 0:49:05Regarding the e-mail warnings, a spokesman told us...
0:49:16 > 0:49:18It did not, however,
0:49:18 > 0:49:21say whether anyone else in the company saw them.
0:49:23 > 0:49:28Corinne and Jamie continue to mourn the death of their son, Paul.
0:49:28 > 0:49:31Although the trigger was pulled by an Fitzsimons,
0:49:31 > 0:49:34they know who they blame for the murder.
0:49:35 > 0:49:39He fired the bullets, but...
0:49:40 > 0:49:45..the gun was put in his hand by G4S ArmorGroup.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48They put the gun in that man's hand.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50The people who we feel are responsible,
0:49:50 > 0:49:54who we hold responsible for putting that gun in Danny's hand are,
0:49:54 > 0:49:56without a shadow of a doubt, G4S.
0:49:57 > 0:50:01I want G4S to be charged with corporate manslaughter
0:50:01 > 0:50:04and be held accountable...
0:50:04 > 0:50:06..for what they did.
0:50:08 > 0:50:13There is one very clear factor about the case of Danny Fitzsimons,
0:50:13 > 0:50:16and that is the state of his mental health.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19Now, the psychiatric reports point quite clearly
0:50:19 > 0:50:23to him suffering from some kind of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
0:50:23 > 0:50:27In an industry which relies heavily on former military,
0:50:27 > 0:50:29where there is no mandatory vetting
0:50:29 > 0:50:32but there's this pressure to fulfil contracts,
0:50:32 > 0:50:36there is growing concern that more individuals like Fitzsimons
0:50:36 > 0:50:38may be taken on.
0:50:38 > 0:50:42A thought echoed in Peter's diary.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45'I have constant nightmares and flashbacks.
0:50:45 > 0:50:47'Anyone who says they can go to a war zone
0:50:47 > 0:50:49'and come home the same person is a liar.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52'Tomorrow, we're taking a colleague down to Basra,
0:50:52 > 0:50:55'as his mental state is shot. He's had enough.
0:50:56 > 0:51:00'One minute I'm sad and feel like crying,
0:51:00 > 0:51:03'then filled with anger the next.'
0:51:04 > 0:51:08When you looked around you on certain missions,
0:51:08 > 0:51:11and you looked at the guys you were working alongside,
0:51:11 > 0:51:15how many of them would you say had PTSD?
0:51:17 > 0:51:22I think, towards the end of my five years out there,
0:51:22 > 0:51:25yeah, there was quite a lot that had PTSD.
0:51:28 > 0:51:31We had an incident within the company,
0:51:31 > 0:51:34and we lost...a few guys.
0:51:34 > 0:51:38Really close friends to us all at the time.
0:51:38 > 0:51:40When they were killed,
0:51:40 > 0:51:42the US Military decided to take us to...
0:51:45 > 0:51:48..the church within the Green Zone
0:51:48 > 0:51:50to speak about the incident,
0:51:50 > 0:51:52and they gave us all sheets of paper.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59They had questions on them about how we were feeling,
0:51:59 > 0:52:02if you felt, you know...affected this one way or the other.
0:52:05 > 0:52:08We just looked at the paper and we just sort of laughed.
0:52:10 > 0:52:12Because most of us could tick practically every box.
0:52:17 > 0:52:19The latest figures estimate
0:52:19 > 0:52:23as many as one in five serving British soldiers
0:52:23 > 0:52:25is suffering from PTSD.
0:52:25 > 0:52:30Dr Christopher Kinsey, who's spent his entire academic career
0:52:30 > 0:52:33studying the private security sector,
0:52:33 > 0:52:37believes the condition is just as prevalent amongst contractors.
0:52:37 > 0:52:40It's something that the industry has to deal with.
0:52:40 > 0:52:44It's something the Government also needs to deal with.
0:52:44 > 0:52:48This could be... I mean, it's really, I think,
0:52:48 > 0:52:52potentially, a time bomb waiting to explode.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55I think it's a very controversial industry
0:52:55 > 0:52:57and I think the Government is aware of this,
0:52:57 > 0:53:00and would prefer not to tackle some of the issues it should tackle.
0:53:00 > 0:53:04- Such as?- Well, I suppose, first of all,
0:53:04 > 0:53:11openly acknowledging this industry exists and what it does,
0:53:11 > 0:53:15rather than trying to keep everything out of sight.
0:53:15 > 0:53:20And that, yes, it does need, for instance, regulation.
0:53:20 > 0:53:25You know, we have self-regulation of the industry
0:53:25 > 0:53:30that is being driven forward by the Foreign Office.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33I think we need more than just self-regulation.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37Despite spending almost half a billion pounds
0:53:37 > 0:53:41on private security companies overseas in the last nine years,
0:53:41 > 0:53:44the UK Government has always shied away
0:53:44 > 0:53:47from formally regulating the industry.
0:53:47 > 0:53:52Instead, it's opted for companies to regulate themselves,
0:53:52 > 0:53:55and for a trade association to develop and maintain
0:53:55 > 0:53:56the industry standards.
0:53:58 > 0:54:01- Are you a regulatory body? - We are not a regulatory body,
0:54:01 > 0:54:03we are trade association,
0:54:03 > 0:54:06but we are formally partnered with Government.
0:54:06 > 0:54:08So, what powers do you have?
0:54:08 > 0:54:10We don't have powers.
0:54:11 > 0:54:14So, you're not a regulatory body and you don't have any powers?
0:54:14 > 0:54:16Correct in that respect, yes.
0:54:16 > 0:54:19The Security In Complex Environments Group
0:54:19 > 0:54:24is a voluntary regulation system and so,
0:54:24 > 0:54:27there is no formal requirement or statutory requirement, rather,
0:54:27 > 0:54:30for companies to comply with those standards.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33But what the UK Government and the SCEG is seeking to do
0:54:33 > 0:54:36is ensure that those standards are recognised so widely
0:54:36 > 0:54:40across client groups that it becomes a commercial imperative
0:54:40 > 0:54:42for companies to comply with those standards.
0:54:42 > 0:54:45I then asked him about
0:54:45 > 0:54:49the allegations that I'd heard whilst making this programme.
0:54:49 > 0:54:52If there are companies that are allowing their men and women to work
0:54:52 > 0:54:56in a dangerous environment with the inadequate equipment,
0:54:56 > 0:54:58forcing them to go on the black runs,
0:54:58 > 0:55:02asking them to sanitise reports, one could argue
0:55:02 > 0:55:05these aren't the kind of companies that are going to pay much attention
0:55:05 > 0:55:07to your code of conduct.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10Arguably, that could be correct.
0:55:10 > 0:55:12Does that concern you?
0:55:12 > 0:55:14I'm sure there will be some companies
0:55:14 > 0:55:17who would continue not to uphold the best standards of the industry.
0:55:17 > 0:55:19Of course, it concerns me a great deal.
0:55:19 > 0:55:21But we're trying to address that problem.
0:55:21 > 0:55:25What will you be able to do to those companies?
0:55:25 > 0:55:30If they continue to operate underneath the radar, very little.
0:55:30 > 0:55:34What the majority in the industry is keen to do is to ensure that
0:55:34 > 0:55:36those industries... or those companies, rather,
0:55:36 > 0:55:39who are behaving less professionally,
0:55:39 > 0:55:41are identified and commercially disadvantaged.
0:55:41 > 0:55:44At the moment, signing an international code of conduct
0:55:44 > 0:55:47means nothing apart from the fact, for some, perhaps,
0:55:47 > 0:55:50a wish to differentiate themselves in the marketplace.
0:55:50 > 0:55:53In terms of substance of performance, it means nothing.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56What will mean a great deal is when the standards are in place
0:55:56 > 0:55:59and there is independent verification of those standards.
0:56:02 > 0:56:05The international code of conduct was taken up
0:56:05 > 0:56:08by certain security companies for the simple reason
0:56:08 > 0:56:10that it would be madness not to.
0:56:10 > 0:56:14Because if they do, and if they sign up for it,
0:56:14 > 0:56:16it's another facade of legitimacy
0:56:16 > 0:56:20- that they can give to potential clients.- It means nothing?
0:56:20 > 0:56:21It means nothing. It's a facade.
0:56:21 > 0:56:25It doesn't help the contractors to do their job
0:56:25 > 0:56:27and to have the backing of the companies whatsoever.
0:56:27 > 0:56:30And what would help the contractors, in your mind,
0:56:30 > 0:56:33- is proper external regulation? - Totally. Totally.
0:56:33 > 0:56:37In a statement, the Foreign Office said the voluntary system
0:56:37 > 0:56:41would help to raise standards globally. It said it was...
0:57:00 > 0:57:02In the last few weeks,
0:57:02 > 0:57:06at least three more private security contractors have been killed,
0:57:06 > 0:57:07that we know about.
0:57:07 > 0:57:11For those still grieving, it's difficult news to take.
0:57:18 > 0:57:21For anyone, the loss of a child...
0:57:22 > 0:57:24..is deeply significant.
0:57:27 > 0:57:30I liked the adult he'd become.
0:57:31 > 0:57:35He was fun, he was thoughtful...
0:57:37 > 0:57:38and I...
0:57:41 > 0:57:44I didn't have to imagine...
0:57:44 > 0:57:48..what he'd be like as my grown-up companion.
0:57:50 > 0:57:52And, that, we will miss.
0:57:55 > 0:57:59'I leave you with the words of two poets to remember me by,
0:57:59 > 0:58:02'and I hope they will bring some comfort.
0:58:02 > 0:58:04'The first is by Dylan Thomas,
0:58:04 > 0:58:08'Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.
0:58:08 > 0:58:11'Do not go gentle into that good night.
0:58:11 > 0:58:14'Old age should burn and rave at the close of day.
0:58:14 > 0:58:18'Rage, rage against the dying of the light.'
0:58:20 > 0:58:24'And you, my father, there on the sad height.
0:58:24 > 0:58:29'Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
0:58:29 > 0:58:32'Do not go gentle into that good night.
0:58:32 > 0:58:35'Rage, rage against the dying of the light.'
0:58:51 > 0:58:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd