Latest news with #Fairhurst
Metro
4 days ago
- Metro
UK prison chief calls for US-style 'supermax jails' to protect guards
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video It is only a matter of time before a prison officer is murdered by an inmate, the chairman of the Prison Officers' Association (POA) has warned. A prison officer was airlifted to hospital yesterday after being stabbed while on duty at the high security HMP Long Lartin in Worcestershire. That attack came days after three prison officers were targeted – including one with boiling water and another left with a bleed on the brain – in 48 hours at HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire. The number of assaults on staff in adult prisons in England and Wales per year has reached its highest level in a decade, new data shows. The figures come after several incidents in prisons have raised concerns over staff safety and the standard of protective equipment at work. Four officers were attacked with hot oil and homemade weapons by Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi at HMP Frankland in County Durham on April 12. Mark Fairhurst, chairman of the POA, has now called for those inmates posing the most risk to his staff to be 'totally locked down'. Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he said jails are 'awash' with 'all kinds of illicit items' – including drugs, phones and weapons – but 'we very rarely lock them down'. Mr Fairhurst said 'now is the time to introduce supermax facilities' like those in the US, 'so people who pose the most risk to staff are totally locked down'. 'It is only a matter of time before one of my colleagues is murdered on duty,' he added. Some 10,605 assaults on staff in male and female jails were recorded in 2024, up from 9,204 in 2023 and nearly three times the 3,640 in 2014. The rate of assaults on staff stood at 122 per 1,000 prisoners last year, up from 108 in 2023 and 43 a decade earlier. Mr Fairhurst linked the violence inside prisons to the amount of contraband being smuggled in from the outside using drones. 'We need to secure the airspace above our prisons,' he said. 'Why are our airspaces not tightened? Why do we have ingress of drones in our prisons? Surely there must be technology out there that prevents drones entering airspaces.' More Trending Metro has contacted the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) for comment. A spokesperson told the BBC that attacks on prison staff are 'unacceptable' and will not be tolerated. They said the MoJ was 'gripping the situation by investing in prison maintenance and security, working with the police and others to tackle serious organised crime'. A spokesman said earlier this month they are 'also bolstering security to stop more contraband entering jails'. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Peru Two drug mule warns Britons of 'hellish conditions' inside prison MORE: Multiple people seriously injured after car crashes into pedestrians MORE: Man arrested after police officer injured when 'car reversed into him'
The National
26-05-2025
- Business
- The National
Councillors consider completely demolishing Kirkcudbright Bridge
All options are currently being explored by Dumfries and Galloway Council officers, which includes a rebuild job on site – or potentially another bridge at different locations on the River Dee. Various costings and proposals are currently being investigated and a range of options will be presented to councillors in October this year. This news comes after it was revealed that the short term solution will see Kirkcudbright Bridge reopened to cars or light vans by July 2 (vehicles larger than three tonnes will not be allowed access). READ MORE: National park supporters urge ministers not to scrap Galloway proposal The issue is due to be discussed at the council's economy and infrastructure committee next Tuesday where councillors will be given a progress update. A report by Duncan McDonald, the council's engineering design manager, will be tabled at the meeting. He wrote: 'In parallel to reopening the bridge on Wednesday July 2, 2025, officers have started to consider options to develop an indicative cost of a new bridge as well as timescales associated with this. 'Due to the complexities of work required to develop a new bridge for Kirkcudbright it is anticipated that this will take years, however officers are committed to developing this and will follow due diligence in order to seek correct (elected) member approval." READ MORE: Running festival seeks 'Braveheart' athletes for race across historic Stirling sites The council was forced to close the bridge with little notice in March after a structural safety report from engineering consultant's Mott MacDonald. The move has attracted criticism from locals due to it adding time onto journeys between the merse and the town centre. Traders have also experienced a significant drop in income. Council officers are now poring over documents from a previous review of the bridge, which was conducted in the 1970s by consultants Fairhurst. Fairhurst was commission to consider various other sites for a new bridge. The council report produced for next week's committee explains: 'In their work, Fairhurst considered two primary locations for the new bridge. The first was directly over the existing bridge and required full demolition. 'A replacement temporary bridge was required to facilitate this, to ensure the Merse and Kirkcudbright communities remained connected during the demolition and construction work.'The second was upstream starting at Dee Road, spanning the Dee to the rear of the creamery (now demolished).' Councillors will now be asked to allow officers to seek indicative costs and timescales for a new bridge within this year's public realm structures capital budget. If agreed, officers will then come back with a full range of options to the full council meeting on October 2.
The Guardian
02-05-2025
- The Guardian
Governors have lost control of prison in Staffordshire, union says
Governors have been accused of losing control of a Staffordshire jail after a union claimed that a male officer was stabbed in the head and two female colleagues were punched in the face during serious disturbances on Tuesday. The Prison Officers' Association is demanding a clearout of hidden makeshift weapons from HMP Swinfen Hall near Lichfield after a third outbreak of violence over recent weeks. The union said that all three prison officers went to hospital on Tuesday, while prisoners attempted to take a fourth officer hostage. Swinfen Hall, which holds about 600 men aged 18-28 serving between four years and life, was placed under 'lockdown' on Tuesday and officers wearing riot gear were sent into G wing to break up a violent incident. Emergency services reportedly attended the same prison on 28 March after an inmate was stabbed. On 21 March, another prisoner was taken to hospital after receiving trauma care for serious injuries. Mark Fairhurst, the national chair of the POA, said he had spoken to union representatives and officers at the prison. 'This was far from a minor incident,' said Fairhurst. 'A member of staff received stab wounds and was stamped on, whilst another was nearly taken hostage. Two female staff who responded were also hospitalised. 'It is clear that senior leaders at Swinfen Hall have lost control and we now need a reset which involves a full lockdown search to eradicate weapons and illicit items, coupled with a regime refresh that reduces the amount of prisoners unlocked at any one time.' The union also said that in March, a serious incident occurred where approximately 20 prisoners fought with each other but then turned on staff, resulting in an officer being assaulted with a pool cue. Emergency transfers were needed to stabilise the wing. Concerns have been growing about violence across prisons, in particular among young men. Last week the justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, authorised for the first time the use of synthetic pepper spray, or Pava, against 15- to 18-year-olds after an increase in violence in young offender institutions. Mahmood has also announced a trial deployment of Tasers to prison officers in high-security jails, a snap review of whether they should be equipped with stab vests and the suspension of kitchen access for offenders in separation units. It follows Hashem Abedi's assault on officers at HMP Frankland using two homemade knives and hot oil. He has been moved to HMP Belmarsh, in south London, to continue to serve his life sentence for his part in 22 murders in the Manchester Arena terrorist attack. In April 2001, HMP Swinfen Hall was a young offender institution and was named as a centre of excellence by the then prison watchdog for its anti-bullying policies and programmes. The prison now specialises in taking young offenders who are serving between four years and life. A quarter of the inmates have committed serious sexual offences, and many others have been involved in gang-related violence. As a category C prison, it is supposed to offer education and training to prisoners. In December, the prison watchdog, Charlie Taylor, said the prison regime 'lacked purpose', with nearly a third of the prisoners locked in their cells and nearly half (45%) taking illegal drugs. Assaults in prisons have been rising, with an average of 74 a day recorded in England and Wales last year, including 25 assaults a day inflicted on staff, House of Commons library research has shown. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: 'Violence in prison will not be tolerated, and we will always push for the strongest punishment for attacks on our hard-working staff and do whatever we can to protect them. The lord chancellor has announced a review into protective body armour and a trial of Tasers in jails to better respond to serious incidents.'
Gulf Today
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
How working-class Manchester kids became theatre troupe
Maira Butt, The Independent In the grey skies above the city of Salford, Zeus, Hera and Hermes recline, playing with the fates of the mortals living below. Powerless to their might, a band of Olympians defy their commands, wrestling to regain control of their freedom and their lives. The message of Gods of Salford — an original play that's just been staged in Manchester — is blunt. It's meant to be. This was a production that didn't at all shy away from its working-class origins. It was also the product of 25 young, first-time actors from working-class backgrounds, who were tasked with reimagining tales from Greek mythology as raucous testaments to class-driven defiance. The play came about between Manchester's Lowry Theatre, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and the not-for-profit Not Too Tame, which has long incorporated working-class people and culture into the fabric of its being. 'It shows people what Salford's made of and to remember us,' the play's director Jimmy Fairhurst tells me. 'We're not something small. We're here, we're big, we're bold, we're northern, and that's what the show's all about.' The approach feels timely, too, in the wake of the Netflix sensation Adolescence, which followed a 13-year-old boy accused of murder. Actor Stephen Graham, who also co-created the series, discovered its young star, Owen Cooper, through an intentional auditioning process that targeted working-class communities in the north. Cooper, who lived on a Warrington council estate at the time of his audition, is soon set to star in Emerald Fennell's adaptation of Wuthering Heights. Graham calls the young actor's success the show's 'greatest achievement'. Cooper's rise to fame is unusual, though, with the current landscape in British acting relatively bleak when it comes to working-class talent. A study last year found that working-class representation in the TV and film industry has plummeted to its lowest level in a decade, with only 8 per cent self-identifying as from that background. Fairhurst, who also plays Zeus in the production, is only too aware of that fact. Describing himself as a modern-day Billy Elliot, Fairhurst says it took years for him to overcome doubts about his ability — or his right — to pursue a career in TV and theatre. 'It was a big hurdle to overcome,' he says. 'If you're from a certain background and your parents aren't headmistresses or prime ministers, you're told 'Don't make a fuss'.' It was something felt in each of the young people cast in the show as well, adds Jenny Riding, director of learning and engagement at the Lowry. 'Giving themselves permission has been a massive challenge for the actors,' she says, adding that the young stars have often struggled with feelings of 'self-sabotage'. As a response, Riding, Fairhurst, and their team have developed a person-centred approach that puts the needs of young performers at the forefront. Each part of the process takes into account their sensitivities, with several individuals overcoming complex life circumstances such as mental health, homelessness and foster care, to make it to the stage. Support that is offered includes things as simple as the use of fidget spinners in rehearsals — which have helped performers with conditions including anxiety or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) — to transport help for those unable to afford it. More often than not, though, what is most provided is a sense of hope. 'Sometimes, because they don't feel that they're worth it, it can feel easier to quit and leave than it is to be told that you've failed again,' Fairhurst says. 'This is where the pastoral care side of it comes in. In a professional setting they might have lost their chance, but we reconnect with them and give them some support and encouragement and help get them back in the room.' He continues: 'There is an untapped scene on the coalface of culture, and that is because working-class people don't consider themselves or don't believe that they are artists,' says Fairhurst. 'There's a bloke down the road from me who passed away and there were boxes of poetry under his bed. No one knew. And all these people go, 'Oh that's not for me, or the likes of me', and I think there's something (important) about us going, 'no it is'. If you don't hear your voices or see your stories, how do you know that you're relevant? How do you know you've got a voice?' He's seen the promise of this first-hand. A 55-year-old friend of his, a joiner by trade, found his first job in the media via a set-building company that provides props for TV and film. It's proof, Fairhurst adds, that it's never too late to change your life. For 19-year-old Callum, who lives in supported accommodation, the change has been immediate. He first came across the Lowry through a scheme that provided those at risk of homelessness with free theatre tickets (in addition to other support). 'I came to a show called My Beautiful Laundrette and I met Jenny for the first time at the doors,' he says.
Telegraph
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
We need US-style Supermax prison regimes for terrorists, says union
Dangerous terrorists should face US-style 'Supermax' regimes in jail, a prison officers' union has said. Mark Fairhurst, the chairman of the Prison Officers' Association (POA), said terrorists sent to special 'separation' units should only be allowed out of their cells while cuffed – and only for food, exercise, visits and medical treatment. His demand came ahead of a meeting on Wednesday with Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who announced on Tuesday officers will be issued with Tasers as part of a trial to protect them against violent offenders. However, Mr Fairhurst said the Ministry of Justice should go further. Mr Fairhurst said: 'We need a Supermax regime. We model it on the US. We isolate them. They don't associate with other prisoners, they get the basic entitlements and they are cuffed every time they are unlocked,' he said. 'That would be for those who meet the criteria for a separation unit. 'We are dealing with terrorists. Their ideology will not change. That man is determined to murder a prison officer on duty and we don't have the capability to quell that level of threat because we have not got the equipment available to us. That needs to change.' Ms Mahmood has also pledged the prison service will carry out a snap review into whether officers should be issued with protective body armour, or stab vests, the third of the POA's demands. The move comes 10 days after convicted terrorist Hashem Abedi, the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber, attacked four prison officers in HMP Frankland high security jail, near Durham, with two home made knives and hot oil. Three officers were hospitalised. One is still being treated by doctors. One was stabbed close to his jugular vein and a second received five stab wounds in his back, leaving him with a punctured lung, according to Mr Fairhurst. Abedi, who is serving a life sentence for his part in 22 murders in the Manchester Arena terror attack, has since been moved to Belmarsh prison, in south London. He was in a separation unit at HMP Frankland, one of three such units in English jails. He was in the kitchen at the time of the attack and is believed to have fashioned the knives out of either a baking tray or oven grill. The Ministry of Justice has since suspended prisoners' access to kitchen facilities in such settings. Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, Ms Mahmood said: 'The House will be aware of the attack at HMP Frankland on April 12. The bravery of the officers involved that day undoubtedly saved lives, my thoughts are with them as they recover. 'I think also of the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing and their families who are understandably outraged. 'Since the attack, I have suspended access to kitchens in separation centres and in close supervision centres. Alongside that, an independent review will ascertain how this incident was able to happen, what more must be done to protect prison staff, and more widely, how separation centres are run. 'The Prison Service will also conduct a snap review of the use of protective bodily armour. In addition, I can today announce that HMPPS (HM Prison and Probation Service) will trial the use of tasers in our prisons. 'Wherever we can strengthen our defences, to better protect our staff and the public, we will do so,' she told MPs.
