Whistleblower escorted from G4S office after Olympic vetting claims (From The Northern Echo)

Darlington woman loses job over Olympic vetting claims

10:00am Saturday 2nd June 2012 in News By Joe Willis, Regional Chief Reporter

A WHISTLEBLOWER was escorted from her workplace after making claims that under-pressure staff in a North-East office were cutting corners while screening security workers applying for jobs at the London Olympics.

Data input clerk Sarah Hubble was interviewed by bosses, then told not to return, after contacting the media about her experiences at the G4S offices in Thornaby, near Stockton.

Miss Hubble, 27, from Darlington, claimed the system was creaking under the pressure of processing thousands of applications ahead of this summer’s games.

She said staff had to process a minimum of ten applications an hour, with so many applications submitted that the documents were piled up in corners.

The whistleblower told ITV’s North-East Tonight programme that despite having access to personal information, including passport details, bank account information, national insurance cards, driving licences and identity cards, she had never had a criminal records check herself.

She said: “It was an absolute shambles – you had people vetting potential employees who had not been vetted themselves.”

After a report was screened on the television news, Miss Hubble, who was employed through employment agency Reed, said she was quizzed for two-and-a-half hours by several G4S directors.

After initially denying she contacted the media, Miss Hubble said she admitted it was her when the company found evidence of her contact with a journalist on her phone, which bosses examined in detail.

The former Haughton Community School pupil said her experiences had prompted her to pursue a career in journalism.

“I got a taste of what journalism could be like and I loved every single second of it, so much so that I want more,” she said.

G4S said the company took the integrity of its screening and vetting very seriously and investigated any alleged breach immediately.

A spokesman said the firm did not comment on individual cases.

However, he added: “We are aware of the false allegations made by an individual who was temporarily engaged through a local employment agency to carry out data entry duties at our Stockton screening centre.”

Last night, Reed said the temporary worker had not been dismissed by them.