G4S describes itself as "the world's leading provider of security solutions"[1] and provides security services for over 40 embassies around the world, works as stewards at football stadiums and runs over six British prisons, operates prisoner tagging schemes, assists within the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) in the United Kingdom, and provides administrative roles to the health and education sectors.[2] The company operates as a subsidiary of an American security services provider Allied Universal since April 2021.
G4S's controversies became known to the wider public following their handling of security for the 2012 Summer Olympics, but controversy extends to the 1990s, before the company was founded in its present form by the merger of Group 4 with Securicor. However, the corporation insists that the level of substantiated complaints has been extremely low and they are of a minor nature.[2]