Arm prison guards to crack down on Islamist inmates, say Tories

Telegraph

a day ago

Specialist prison officers should have access to firearms in jails to combat the rising threat from Islamist gangs and violent criminals, Robert Jenrick has said.
The shadow justice secretary has proposed that secure armouries to hold lethal weapons should be introduced at high-security prisons, claiming: 'Islamist gangs and violent prisoners in our jails are out of control.'
His proposed moves, which mirror similar measures in US jails, would also involve specialist teams of officers in category A prisons being armed with Tasers, stun grenades and baton rounds. This should be accompanied by the immediate provision of high-collar stab vests to front-line officers, said Mr Jenrick.
The shadow justice secretary said the proposals were recommended in a rapid review he commissioned from Prof Ian Acheson, a former prison governor who advised the previous Conservative government on extremism in jails.
On Friday, a prison officer at HMP Long Lartin in Worcestershire was seriously injured when he was stabbed by a violent inmate with a knife that was believed to have been flown into the high-security jail by a drone.
Last month, Hashem Abedi, the Manchester Arena bomber, who is serving life for 22 murders, attacked three officers in a separation unit at the high security Frankland jail, in County Durham.
The Islamist fanatic threw hot cooking oil over them and stabbed them with two makeshift knives he had fashioned from baking trays in the kitchen.
Shabana Mahmood, the Justice Secretary, has ordered a review into whether to issue front-line officers with stab vests, as well as a trial of Tasers, and the suspension of prisoners' use of kitchens in separation units used to segregate Islamist terrorists.
However, Mr Jenrick accused ministers of dithering in the face of a national security emergency. The Prison Officers' Association (POA) has said it is only a matter of time before an officer is murdered, while the prison watchdog has warned drone drops are so endemic, they will be used to deliver guns and explosives.
Mr Jenrick said: ' Islamist gangs and violent prisoners in our jails are out of control. It's a national security emergency, but the Government is dithering. If they don't act soon, there is a very real risk that a prison officer is kidnapped or murdered in the line of duty, or that a terrorist attack is directed from inside prison.
'I commissioned Ian Acheson, a highly respected former governor, to conduct a rapid review to come up with the answers the Government should adopt right away. We have to stop pussy-footing around Islamist extremists and violent offenders in jails.
'That means arming specialist prison officer teams with Tasers and stun grenades, as well as giving them access to lethal weapons in exceptional circumstances.
'If prison governors can't easily keep terrorist influencers and radicalising inmates apart from the mainstream prisoners they target, then we don't control our prisons – they do. We must take back control and restore order by giving officers the powers and protection they need.'
Separation centres too small to cope
Mr Jenrick said the Government should also expand the current three separation centres, of which only two are currently operational. These 'prisons within prisons' can house up to 28 Islamist and other terrorists to prevent them from radicalising other inmates, and to allow closer supervision.
However, there are 257 prisoners now in custody for terrorist offences, of which Islamists account for two-thirds and neo-fascists 27 per cent.
A number of Government reports have warned of Islamist gangs running prison wings and radicalising other inmates.
Mr Jenrick said the Government should reintroduce solitary confinement for gang leaders and remove access to kitchens and appliances such as kettles, until prison wings are back under control.
Earlier this month, Axel Rudakubana, the Southport killer, allegedly threw boiling water from his kettle over an officer at HMP Belmarsh.
Mr Jenrick proposed that all radical Islamist imams working in prisons should be removed and counter-terror security clearance should be retrospectively applied to all pastoral officers. He also demanded compulsory quarterly releases of data on religious conversions in prison, and faith-related incidents.
He also said the Tories would legislate to overturn a court ruling that requires prisons to take account of any representations by a prisoner placed in a separation centre. And he proposed a law change to prevent terrorists claiming compensation under human rights law, and delaying their segregation.
Prof Acheson said: 'The threat to officer safety is now intolerable and must be met decisively by the Government. The balance inside too many of our prisons has shifted away from control by the state to mere containment, and the price is soaring levels of staff assaults and wrecked rehabilitation.
'Broken officers can't help fix broken people, or protect the public from violent extremism.'
Mark Fairhurst, the chairman of the Prison Officers Association, said: 'We are asking for Tasers and the use of non-lethal options. If we ever needed firearm support, we have an agreement with chief constables to provide mutual aid.
'If the Tories think we need this level of protection, we need to exhaust all other options first, including adequate protections for staff and supermax facilities.'
A Ministry of Justice (MOJ) source said: 'The last government added just 500 cells to our prison estate, and left our jails in total crisis. In 14 years, they closed 1,600 cells in the high-security estate, staff assaults soared, and experienced officers left in droves. Now the arsonists are pretending to be firefighters.
'This Government is cleaning up the mess the last government left behind. We are building new prisons, with 2,400 new cells opened since we took office, and we take a zero-tolerance approach to violence and extremism inside.'
MoJ sources also warned that introducing firearms to jails was likely to increase the risk to prison officers rather than decreasing it. They said Ms Mahmood had already commissioned a review into separation centres which could lead to an expansion and a tougher approach to segregating dangerous prisoners.
One day, a British prison officer won't come home
By Robert Jenrick
Last week, I visited HMP Wandsworth to speak to officers. How was it inside the prison, I asked. 'Look at my boots,' the officer responded. They were covered in blood. It wasn't even 10am and a violent assault on his colleague had already taken place.
The worst bit? He shrugged it off, because it wasn't unusual. It's only by a stroke of luck that an officer hasn't been killed.
The situation in our prisons is now a national security emergency. On Friday it was reported that a prisoner had used a knife – delivered to his cell by a drone – to stab an officer at one of our top-security prisons housing terrorists and murderers.
Organised crime groups have now effectively established Amazon Prime for prisoners, with drones delivering whatever weapons they want to their cell window.
Guns on drones are a matter of time
Hashem Abedi, the sick Manchester Arena plotter, recently used hot oil to disfigure officers – just imagine what terrorists like him could do with serious weapons. It is only a matter of time before a drone brings in a gun, ammunition and explosives that a prisoner uses to kidnap, kill or even plot a terrorist attack.
The Government is dithering, hiding behind multiple 'reviews'. They refuse to give officers stab vests immediately. They won't fix glaring security flaws that enable drones until the middle of next year.
After the Southport killer used a kettle to burn an officer, they withdrew it – only for him to be rewarded with access to the prison shop so he can buy sweets and chocolate. It's a disgusting insult to the victims.
This appeasement must end. The Government must give the officers the capability to take back control of our prisons. They need to give highly trained officers tasers, baton rounds and, yes, access to firearms in exceptional circumstances.
They must legislate to disapply the Human Rights Act so governors can place terrorists and radicalising inmates in isolation without judicial interference – and terrorists can't use lawfare to get compensation. When they move them, it must be to solitary confinement, with every single luxury taken off them.
But even that won't be enough to restore order. Prison officers have always had to deal with killers including ruthless IRA murderers, and exceptionally violent organised crime gangs. They now have to contend with Islamist gangs that have taken control of some wings.
Muslim converts a cause for concern
Their grip is so strong prisoners have reportedly been placed in isolation to protect them from the Islamist gangs who target them. There are accounts of sharia law courts and floggings and beatings.
Some prisoners convert to Islam for their own protection. Why is it, for instance, that analysis by The Telegraph shows 19.9 per cent of Muslims in UK prisons are white, nearly three times higher than the rate in the general Muslim population?
The response from the Ministry of Justice has been pitiful. Prison imams have been found unable and sometimes unwilling to promote British values and take on violent fundamentalism from Muslim prisoners. It was even reported sniffer dogs have been banned from Hashem Abedi's unit after complaints it would offend the Muslim faith.
Labour's prisons minister refused to even utter the word 'Islamist' after I asked a question about the threat from radicalising inmates.
We have to stop pussyfooting around Islamists. Remove the radical imams. Isolate the self-appointed 'emirs'. And release quarterly statistics on religious conversions in prison and faith-based incidents so we know the truth.
Our front-line prison officers are lions led by donkeys. Ministers and senior officials must act now to prevent disaster. If they don't, one day an officer won't come back to their family.