Police services in Surrey could be privatized under radical new plans, a newspaper has claimed.

Surrey Police have invited bids from G4S and other large security companies to take over the delivery of a wide range of services previously carried out by the police.

According to the Guardian, the list of activities includes investigating crimes, detaining suspects, developing cases, responding to and investigating incidents, as well as more traditional back-office functions, such as managing forensics, providing legal services, managing the vehicle fleet, finance and human resources.

Surrey Police said it was in “the very early stages of discussion with the private sector” and moved to allay fears front-line services would be affected.

Surrey’s Chief Constable, Lynne Owens said: “My job is to make sure Surrey stays safe, it will be police officers and staff that do that.

“Any suggestion that a private sector company will patrol the streets of Surrey is simply nonsense. It would be no more acceptable to the public than it would be to me.

“This is just an opportunity to see if the private sector can deliver some behind the scenes functions better and cheaper as part of a broader programme.

“We have to comply with a pretty cumbersome procurement process, hence the breadth of the documents that are prepared.

“The final decision will be for the Police Authority or Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC) but we cannot escape the changing financial climate.

“I must do my utmost to protect frontline policing services for the long-term. We will not change for changes sake. Our service to the Surrey public is my priority. I will retain all accountability for operational decision making.”

Peter Williams, chairman of Surrey Police Authority added: “I am most surprised and disappointed at the way a necessarily widely drafted document to comply with EU Regulations has been interpreted as the foundation for rumours that are simply untrue and without foundation”

“By making better use of resources, Surrey Police has the potential to make savings, which will help the Force to protect frontline services in the long-term.

“Surrey Police has a good track record in taking an innovative approach to improve our front-line services, for example we have recently recruited an additional 200 PCs.”