Latest news with #PrisonOfficersAssociation
The Guardian
2 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Robert Jenrick's call to arm prison officers is ‘nonsense', governors say
Robert Jenrick's demand for armed prison guards has been described as 'headline-grabbing nonsense' by organisations representing governors and staff. The shadow justice secretary, who has made a series of eye-catching demands over the last few days, said on Sunday that prison officers should be allowed to carry guns and build up 'armouries' to clamp down on violence from Islamist gangs and violent prisoners. Tom Wheatley, the president of the Prison Governors' Association, told the Guardian: 'The firearms/lethal force armouries suggestion is just headline-grabbing nonsense. 'If this was needed, why wouldn't armed police be deployed rather than creating another trained force in our service? 'It is likely that the Lord Chancellor [Shabana Mahmood] is considering wider use of protective body armour, but the focus should be on the need for more investment to counter drones and serious organised crime,' he said. The Prison Officers' Association (POA), which has warned that it is only a matter of time before a prison officer is murdered because of a rise in prison violence, has also poured cold water on the Tories' demand for guns in prisons. Mark Fairhurst, the national chair of the POA, said: 'We are asking for Tasers and the use of non-lethal options. If we ever need firearm support we have an agreement with chief constables to provide mutual aid. 'The Tories think we need this level of protection but we need to exhaust all other options first, including adequate protections for staff and 'supermax' facilities,' he said. 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 HMP Frankland, in County Durham. Shabana Mahmood, the lord chancellor, has ordered a review into whether to issue frontline 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. In an article for the Telegraph, Jenrick said: 'We have to stop pussy-footing around Islamist extremists and violent offenders in jails. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion '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.' Whitehall sources said that taking guns on to the prison estate would make officers carrying weapons a 'deadly target' for prison gangs. Jenrick has generated eye-catching headlines over recent days, but has denied that he wishes to replace Kemi Badenoch as Tory leader. On Thursday, he posted a video of himself online confronting people he accused of fare-dodging in central London. A spokesperson for Jenrick has been approached for a comment.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Prison officers should be armed, say Conservatives
Prison officers dealing with violent inmates should be armed, the shadow justice secretary has said. Specialist guards should have Taser stun guns and baton rounds - a less lethal alternative to traditional bullets - to give them "confidence" in handling threats, Robert Jenrick told the BBC. The Conservatives said secure armouries should be introduced at maximum security jails and used as a last resort. Prison officers in adult male prisons currently only carry an extendable baton and Pava, a synthetic pepper spray. Officers need protection from jail attacks - union Prison staff to demand electric stun guns in jails The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said some prison officers will use Tasers this summer on a trial basis, but argued that giving them lethal weapons would put them at greater risk. The Prison Officers' Association (POA), a union, called for stronger protection for staff after a string of attacks. It said stun guns should be made available to officers working in the UK's most dangerous jails. Speaking to the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, Jenrick said that without intervention it was "only a matter of time" before a prison officer was "held hostage and potentially killed". He added that under his proposals, officers would not be "walking the wings" with lethal weapons, but would "have access to them if they need them". The Conservative's call for officers to be armed follows a review conducted for the party by former prison governor Ian Acheson. Among other policies, the party also wants to see high-collar stab vests immediately rolled out to frontline officers. In response to the proposals, Labour said it was "cleaning up the mess" after the Conservatives' "dire record" in office. "In 14 years they added fewer than 500 prison places in total and closed 1,600 cells in the high-security estate as assaults on prison officers soared and experienced officers quit," a party spokesperson added. In his BBC interview, Jenrick, who held various ministerial roles in the last government, conceded that his party "should have done more" in office. "But we're in opposition now, it is my job to bring forward good, sensible solutions," he added. The MoJ said protective body armour is used in segregation units and specialist areas for situations that are deemed as high risk. It added that a "snap review" into whether it should be used more routinely will report in the coming days.
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Prison officers should be armed, say Conservatives
Prison officers dealing with violent inmates should be armed, the shadow justice secretary has said. Specialist guards should have Taser stun guns and baton rounds - a less lethal alternative to traditional bullets - to give them "confidence" in handling threats, Robert Jenrick told the BBC. The Conservatives said secure armouries should be introduced at maximum security jails and used as a last officers in adult male prisons currently only carry an extendable baton and Pava, a synthetic pepper spray. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said some prison officers will use Tasers this summer on a trial basis, but argued that giving them lethal weapons would put them at greater Prison Officers' Association (POA), a union, called for stronger protection for staff after a string of attacks. It said stun guns should be made available to officers working in the UK's most dangerous to the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, Jenrick said that without intervention it was "only a matter of time" before a prison officer was "held hostage and potentially killed".He added that under his proposals, officers would not be "walking the wings" with lethal weapons, but would "have access to them if they need them".The Conservative's call for officers to be armed follows a review conducted for the party by former prison governor Ian other policies, the party also wants to see high-collar stab vests immediately rolled out to frontline officers. 'Dire record' In response to the proposals, Labour said it was "cleaning up the mess" after the Conservatives' "dire record" in office."In 14 years they added fewer than 500 prison places in total and closed 1,600 cells in the high-security estate as assaults on prison officers soared and experienced officers quit," a party spokesperson his BBC interview, Jenrick, who held various ministerial roles in the last government, conceded that his party "should have done more" in office."But we're in opposition now, it is my job to bring forward good, sensible solutions," he MoJ said protective body armour is used in segregation units and specialist areas for situations that are deemed as high added that a "snap review" into whether it should be used more routinely will report in the coming days.
Telegraph
6 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Prisoner attacks officer with boiling water at high-security jail
A prison officer was scalded by boiling water while another was left with a broken jaw in violent attacks at one of Britain's high-security jails. The two separate attacks took place at HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire this week, which houses some of the UK's most dangerous criminals. One officer suffered a fractured jaw and bleeding on the brain after he was assaulted by a prisoner in a workshop, while another was burned when an inmate threw a kettle of boiling water at him when he entered a cell. Last month, convicted murderer John Mansfield was killed by another inmate at the same prison. That attack is alleged to have taken place in HMP Whitemoor's close supervision centre, where prisoners are supposed to be closely monitored. There have already been demands for tougher restrictions on kettles in cells for dangerous offenders after the Southport killer Axel Rudakubana allegedly threw boiling water over an officer at HMP Belmarsh on May 8. The attacks at HMP Whitemoor came just weeks after Hashem Abedi, the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber, threw hot cooking oil over three officers. He then stabbed them with two makeshift knives fashioned from baking trays in the kitchen of a separation unit at the high security Frankland jail in county Durham. The Prison Officers' Association (POA) has called for all terrorists and violent prisoners who assault officers to be held in US-style 'supermax' units or separate jail where they are only allowed out of their cells for one hour a day while handcuffed and supervised by three officers. Jonathan Hall, KC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, is assessing ways of segregating dangerous offenders including Islamist terrorists after the attack by Abedi, who is serving life for his part in the murder of 22 people in the Manchester Arena bomb. Mr Hall has said he will look at the 'human consequences' of segregating prisoners in such a way that it reduces the risk of violence to 'near zero.' 'Supermax' wing for high risk One option would be to create a 'bespoke' supermax regime such as that found at ADX Florence in Colorado, which holds prisoners who are such a risk that they cannot be housed even in maximum security prisons. The inmates are confined for the most part of the day in single cells with facilities made of poured, reinforced concrete to deter self-harm, and are under 24-hour supervision carried out with high staff to inmate ratios. Mark Fairhurst, chair of the POA, said: 'We need a supermax wing or unit somewhere on the prison estate where we put terrorists and extremely violent prisoners in complete lockdown. It would be for people who are intent on causing serious harm. 'We cannot go on like this. There is going to be a murder of an officer on duty. Things need to change. The problem is the violent people we are now locking up don't care. They don't fear consequences. If they are already facing a life sentence, they are not worried by a couple more years in jail. 'We need lockdown jails where people who commit crimes like that are locked down 23 hours a day. Why not lock them down if they are going to be violent to staff?' Record high jail assaults Some 10,605 assaults on staff in male and female jails were recorded in 2024, a record high up from 9,204 in 2023 and nearly three times the 3,640 in 2014. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has already ordered a rapid review into whether prison officers should be issued with stab vests to protect them, and a trial to train and equip selected jail staff with Tasers. Access to kitchen facilities in separation centres have been suspended after Abedi's attack. A prison service spokesman said: 'Police are investigating two unacceptable attacks on members of staff at HMP Whitemoor. 'We will not tolerate assaults on hardworking prison officers and will always push for the strongest punishments against perpetrato
Telegraph
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
‘Supermax' prisons could house Britain's worst criminals
Britain's most dangerous prisoners face a US-style 'supermax' prison regime after a string of violent attacks on officers. Shabana Mahmood, the Justice Secretary, has ordered a review into ways of segregating dangerous offenders including Islamist terrorists after an armed attack last month on three officers by the Manchester Arena bomber's brother in HMP Frankland, County Durham. She has asked Jonathan Hall, KC, the head of the review, to look at the 'human consequences' of segregating prisoners in such a way that it reduces the risk of violence to 'near zero'. The three options include creating a 'bespoke' regime such as that found at ADX Florence in Colorado, which holds prisoners who are so great a risk that they cannot be housed even in maximum security prisons. The inmates are confined in single cells with facilities made of poured, reinforced concrete to deter self-harm. And they are under 24-hour supervision, carried out intensively with high staff–inmate ratios. The move follows calls by the Prison Officers' Association (POA) for supermax jails in the UK. The jails could see offenders allowed out of their cells only while handcuffed to three officers, and provided with a basic food and exercise regime. Last month Hashem Abedi, 28, who is serving life for 22 murders in the Manchester Arena bomb, attacked three prison officers with two makeshift knives and boiling cooking oil in a special separation unit for Islamist extremists in HMP Frankland. Two suffered life-threatening injuries. At the weekend, Southport killer Axel Rudakubana allegedly used a kettle to pour boiling water over an officer at HMP Belmarsh in south London where he is currently being held. This week, The Telegraph revealed a prison officer was slashed across his neck by an inmate wielding an improvised knife at HMP Woodhill, in Milton Keynes, which houses one of three separation units for extremist or dangerous prisoners. Ms Mahmood has already ordered a rapid review into whether prison officers should be issued with stab vests to protect them, and a trial to train and equip selected jail staff with Tasers. Access to kitchen facilities in separation centres was suspended after Abedi's attack. The review by Mr Hall, who is the independent reviewer of terror legislation for the Government, will consider whether the current system of three separation centres is effective, or whether there are additional risks of physical attack or reinforcing extremist beliefs from segregating them in that way. It reads: 'Are there additional risks of harm associated with the type of prisoner likely to be held in a separation centre, for example, one subject to a long or indeterminate sentence with nothing to lose; or one who may seek to continue a terrorism career within prison.' Mr Hall will also consider whether there should be greater use of segregation cells within a separation centre or greater use of close supervision centres. Announcing Mr Hall's appointment, Ms Mahmood said: 'Alongside considering the facts of the incident, the review will look into the operation of Separation Centres and whether they are fit for purpose. 'I have asked for the review to report back promptly, and to leave no stone unturned so we can prevent such an incident ever happening again.' Steve Gillan, POA general secretary, said: 'Escalating levels of violence are out of control in the prison service in England and Wales. It appears that [the Prison Service] have learned nothing. They continue to ignore the calls from our members on the front line for urgent action to protect Prison Officers from violence. 'It is clear that prison regimes must be reviewed as a matter of urgency. We need action to protect Prison Officers before there is a fatality.' 'My thoughts are with the Prison Officers who have been injured, the POA will offer them our full support.' 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.
