Latest news with #PrisonGovernorsAssociation
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Prison bosses make room for possible influx amid planned protests across England
Prison bosses will make room for a possible influx of arrested demonstrators this weekend amid concerns that some jails are close to full, the head of the national governors' body has revealed. The police have threatened to arrest hundreds of supporters of the banned group Palestine Action, who plan to protest in London this weekend. There are also at least eight planned demonstrations outside hotels housing asylum seekers. The Ministry of Justice confirmed that it has initiated 'capacity gold command' as it attempts to manage the use of individual prison cells, with jails across England and Wales 97.5% full. Capacity gold command is initiated when the number of prisoners across the estate reaches critical levels. It allows an appointed gold commander to monitor every out-of-use cell, direct moves into and out of prisons and maximise the use of open prisons and home detention curfews. Government sources said the justice department has re-examined the possibility of launching Operation Early Dawn, which would allow defendants to be held in police cells until prison beds became available and could mean their court dates are delayed or adjourned at short notice. Tom Wheatley, the president of the Prison Governors' Association, said he is concerned about the impact on prisons of possible public order events after the riots in 2024 after the Southport murders. He added: 'Any spike in the numbers of people remanded in custody will have an impact on prisons. HMPPS HQ is again operating 'capacity gold command' arrangements to direct governors to move prisoners to ensure capacity is available. Governors in reception prisons will be directed to move prisoners over the weekend in order to create space. 'This will mean sometimes moving prisoners long distances to prisons that have room to create it in those that don't. This is far from ideal in that resettling prisoners from prisons a long way from where they are going to live on release is difficult logistically and less likely to be successful.' Sources said capacity gold command was activated in February 2023 and ended in September 2024, when the Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary and lord chancellor, initiated an early release scheme. Because of overcrowding, a source said it was reactivated in March this year so that senior officials and ministers are informed about individual cell space. A protest against the ban on Palestine Action will go ahead in London on Saturday, organisers have confirmed, despite the police saying they will carry out mass detentions. Defend Our Juries, a pressure group campaigning to lift the ban on Palestine Action under terrorism laws, said on Tuesday that more than 500 people had committed to holding up signs reading 'I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action', as part of the protest. The group said the event would go ahead as planned after the 'conditional commitment requirement' had been reached. More than 200 people have been arrested in response to the proscription of the group last month. The location of Saturday's protest has not been made known. The Metropolitan police made clear the force would arrest anyone breaking terrorism laws, as Downing Street urged people not to attend any protest. The demonstration has been organised to protest against the decision by the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, to ban the organisation last month after activists caused what police said was £7m of damage to jets at RAF Brize Norton. Police are braced for further protests and disorder across the UK, as anti-migrant demonstrations continue outside hotels housing asylum-seekers. At least four protests have been organised for the upcoming week in locations such as Bournemouth, Southampton and Portsmouth, with tensions rising further after clashes over the weekend. Far-right groups also plan to protest outside at least eight migrant hotels on Friday as part of a 'no asylum day' of action. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: 'Capacity gold has been used for many months in the management of capacity pressure in the prison estate. 'The swift and coordinated response to last year's unrest shows the criminal justice system is prepared to act quickly if needed to maintain stability and keep the public safe.'
The Independent
16-07-2025
- The Independent
Drone caught airdropping contraband into HMP Wandsworth Prison
This is the moment a drone drops a package into HMP Wandsworth Prison. Footage shared by the BBC Newsnight on Monday (14 July) shows the unmanned aerial vehicle hovering above the south London jail before appearing to drop an item onto prison grounds in the early hours of 21 June. Commenting on the clip, President of the Prison Governors Association, Tom Wheatley said that drone drops are a 'significant' problem that are 'happening every day'. The government has not commented on the specific footage from the category B men's prison - which is home to sex offenders and terrorists - but said it is taking action against drone dropping, with £10m being spent on anti-drone measures.
Daily Mail
15-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Drone delivery highlights 'gaping hole' in prison security
Astonishing footage has been released of the moment a drone drops a large suspected drugs package into the grounds of HMP Wandsworth. The video, captured at around 3.30am on June 21, shows the aircraft hovering above the category B men's prison, which houses sex offenders and terrorists, before seemingly dropping the item into the courtyard. It comes just after various scandals in the south London prison including an officer last year making X-rated content with an inmate. Tom Wheatley, President of the Prison Governors Association told BBC Newsnight that drone use was a 'significant and growing problem in prisons' that is happening 'every day'. He said: This probably started around 2012, 2013. We started to see contraband entry in prisons by drones around that time and now this is happening every day … it's happening on multiple occasions in some prisons during a 24-hour period and in multiple prisons around the country on the same evening. 'It is shocking because we have been able to rely on the measures that we normally take to prevent things coming into prison. So: searching of people; restrictions about access to prisons. We've been able to deal with the way that criminals try to get drugs into prison. 'We've basically now got a gaping hole in our ability to prevent that, and drugs coming into prison don't just cause harm to prisoners who take them, there's a whole illicit economy - and violence and enforcement - that goes with that, that make prisons less safe and us less likely to be able to rehabilitate people in them. Mr Wheatley also warned of the prospect that guns could be dropped in, saying there is 'no practical reason' why the drones, which can carry items up to 10 kilos, couldn't deliver the weapons to prisons. He added: We have yet to encounter [guns], we think. We've certainly not discovered [them] in prisons in recent years - guns have made their way into prisons before. The Whitemoor escape involved prisoners having access and shooting at prison officers. 'So, there is no practical reason why guns couldn't come into prison via this means. I think the real issue is that it's not in anyone's interest at the moment because this is a lucrative trade run by serious organised criminals.' Asked why the drones can't be jammed, the prisons chief said the technology to implement such a process 'just simply hasn't been there' due to the speed that technology is evolving. Mr Wheatley also claimed there are potential problems with just shooting the drones down in residential areas. He said: 'I think there are issues about where prisons are, so if you consider Manchester prison which is in an urban area with people moving around outside it, these drones are actually quite big. 'They're not the toy shop things that we see and, if we were to shoot one down, the chance it would fall and injure someone or damage somebody else's property is significant, but that balance has got to be changing over time.' He also sparked fears over the drones being eventually used to break prisoners out of jail if they evolve in their ability to lift heavier items.
Daily Mail
15-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Astonishing moment drone drops suspected drugs package into crisis-hit HMP Wandsworth as prison officer boss warns guns could be smuggled in
Astonishing footage has been released of the moment a drone drops a large suspected drugs package into the grounds of HMP Wandsworth. The video, captured at around 3.30am on June 21, shows the aircraft hovering above the category B men's prison, which houses sex offenders and terrorists, before seemingly dropping the item into the courtyard. It comes just after various scandals in the south London prison including an officer last year making X-rated content with an inmate. Tom Wheatley, President of the Prison Governors Association told BBC Newsnight that drone use was a 'significant and growing problem in prisons' that is happening 'every day'. He said: This probably started around 2012, 2013. We started to see contraband entry in prisons by drones around that time and now this is happening every day … it's happening on multiple occasions in some prisons during a 24-hour period and in multiple prisons around the country on the same evening. 'It is shocking because we have been able to rely on the measures that we normally take to prevent things coming into prison. So: searching of people; restrictions about access to prisons. We've been able to deal with the way that criminals try to get drugs into prison. 'We've basically now got a gaping hole in our ability to prevent that, and drugs coming into prison don't just cause harm to prisoners who take them, there's a whole illicit economy - and violence and enforcement - that goes with that, that make prisons less safe and us less likely to be able to rehabilitate people in them. Mr Wheatley also warned of the prospect that guns could be dropped in, saying there is 'no practical reason' why the drones, which can carry items up to 10 kilos, couldn't deliver the weapons to prisons. He added: We have yet to encounter [guns], we think. We've certainly not discovered [them] in prisons in recent years - guns have made their way into prisons before. The Whitemoor escape involved prisoners having access and shooting at prison officers. 'So, there is no practical reason why guns couldn't come into prison via this means. I think the real issue is that it's not in anyone's interest at the moment because this is a lucrative trade run by serious organised criminals.' Asked why the drones can't be jammed, the prisons chief said the technology to implement such a process 'just simply hasn't been there' due to the speed that technology is evolving. Mr Wheatley also claimed there are potential problems with just shooting the drones down in residential areas. He said: 'I think there are issues about where prisons are, so if you consider Manchester prison which is in an urban area with people moving around outside it, these drones are actually quite big. 'They're not the toy shop things that we see and, if we were to shoot one down, the chance it would fall and injure someone or damage somebody else's property is significant, but that balance has got to be changing over time.' He also sparked fears over the drones being eventually used to break prisoners out of jail if they evolve in their ability to lift heavier items. Mr Wheatley added: 'We have seen, in an English prison, a helicopter assisted escape, that's something that we have to guard against - but the availability of cheaper means to lift someone out of a prison pose a significant risk.' A Ministry of Justice spokesperson told MailOnline that they had allocated £10million on anti-drone measures this financial year. They said: 'This Government is investing £40million in new security measures this year to clamp down on the contraband that fuels violence behind bars.
Telegraph
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Rioters and people smugglers to be moved to open prisons early
Serious offenders, including rioters and people smugglers, will be transferred early to open prisons to tackle the jail overcrowding crisis, governors have warned. The Prison Governors' Association (PGA) said it was 'concerned' by a rule change that will allow potentially dangerous criminals to be moved to open prisons up to three years before they are due to be released. It could mean criminals serving sentences of more than seven years will be transferred within two weeks of being jailed, the PGA said. Among the eligible prisoners are human traffickers bringing in migrants for forced labour, offenders convicted of rioting or violent disorder, criminals caught with guns, class A drug dealers, motorists who have caused serious injury by dangerous driving and fraudsters. The rule, known as TPRS36, which takes effect on Friday, introduces a 'presumption' that offenders who meet certain risk and offence criteria should be transferred to open prisons three years before their automatic scheduled release date. Governors will make the final decision on transfers, but the PGA said they would only have limited discretion, in exceptional circumstances, to reject moves to open prisons While closed category A to C prisons remain overcrowded, there is space within category D open prisons. However, open prisons have minimal security with no physical barriers such as high walls, fences and secure gates and less supervision by officers to stop offenders from simply walking out. Accommodation is more akin to student digs, with eligible inmates allowed to spend most of their day away from the prison on licence to work, attend education or participate in other resettlement programmes. Tom Wheatley, PGA president, said: 'Open prisons are not a suitable place to house men that have been very recently sentenced for serious offences without any risk assessment. 'To ask the governor to decide that such risk is 'wholly unacceptable', given eligibility after just 14 days, is too short a time to make any such assessment and therefore to protect the public. It is also not what victims of crime expect, nor what the courts intend. 'This is simply a scheme to manage the lack of suitable prison capacity and, having already released many low-risk offenders, it is becoming difficult to use the capacity in open prisons. If TPRS36 rules were not used, many of these men would remain in the closed prison estate safely behind walls and fences.' Eligible prisoners include those serving standard determinate sentences, where they are eligible for release 40 per cent of the way through their terms, no history of escape attempts, have served at least 14 days of their time and have a 'low or medium' risk of causing serious harm on release. Terrorists, sex offenders, violent offenders serving sentences of more than four years and stalkers are excluded. A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: 'We are building new prisons and are on track for 14,000 places by 2031 – the largest expansion since the Victorians. 'Our sentencing reforms will also force prisoners to earn their way to release or face longer in jail for bad behaviour, while ensuring the most dangerous offenders can be kept off the streets. 'Only certain thoroughly risk-assessed offenders are eligible for moves to open prison and anyone found breaching the rules can be immediately returned to a closed prison.' The move follows the introduction of an early release scheme where offenders are freed 40 per cent of the way through their sentence and changes so that violent criminals, burglars and robbers recalled to jail will serve just a month in prison. The early release schemes are designed to tide the MoJ through until the introduction of its sentencing reforms which will see prisoners who behave well released as little as a third of the way through their sentences and killers, rapists and other violent offenders eligible for release at the halfway point rather than two thirds.
