Latest news with #prisonSafety
Daily Mail
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Prison safety a 'total disgrace', home secretary admits after Southport killer 'attacks prison officer with boiling water'
Prison safety is a 'total disgrace,' the home secretary has admitted after the Southport triple killer allegedly attacked a prison officer. Supervision of Axel Rudakubana, 18, was reportedly downgraded just before he used a kettle in his cell to boil water which he then launched over the officer at HMP Belmarsh on Thursday. It comes just weeks after Manchester Arena bomber Hashem Abedi attacked three prison officers at HMP Frankland by stabbing them with homemade weapons and throwing hot cooking oil on them. The attacks have led to calls for Britain's most dangerous inmates to be housed in US-style 'supermax' conditions with no contact with other prisoners or access to kettles and cooking facilities. Home secretary Yvette Cooper agreed there was a 'crisis in our prisons.' '[The attack was] a total disgrace,' she told LBC Radio. 'Prison officers do a very difficult job and they deserve to be kept safe and have our support, and so we are taking these incidents very seriously.' Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick posted a video in which he said he had warned about the safety of prison officers and called for the Government to 'get a grip' before a staff member is killed. Ms Cooper responded: 'There is a crisis in our prisons that was created by the Conservative government, so the idea that we should take seriously anything that any of those former ministers say about the prison system that they left in total crisis…they really need to take some responsibility and start apologising for it.' Home secretary Yvette Cooper said there was a 'crisis in our prisons' and the attack was a 'total disgrace.' The number of assaults on staff in adult prisons in England and Wales has reached its highest level in a decade, according to Ministry of Justice data. More than 10,000 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. Chairman of the Prison Officers' Association, Mark Fairhurst, called for 'supermax' facilities to house dangerous inmates like Rudakubana and Abedi. 'For the most violent, dangerous criminals who are intent on committing atrocities and attacking staff, the time has come for control and containment,' he said. 'This cohort of prisoners should not enjoy the same privileges and freedoms as those who do conform. 'Super-max is your basic entitlements nothing more. 'You would be cuffed every time you are unlocked [from your cell] and escorted by three staff. The gym consists of a rowing machine on the landing. And there are no possessions allowed in a cell apart from a radio and a book to read.' The only federal supermax prison in the US is ADX Florence in Colorado, nicknamed the Alcatraz of the Rockies, and currently home to British terrorists including Abu Hamza and ISIS 'Beatles' Alex Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh. Former prison governor and extremism adviser Ian Acheson said there was no rule that mandated Rudakubana to be allowed a kettle in his cell. 'This process seems to have fallen apart at HMP Belmarsh and other high security prisons where the rights of prisoners take precedence over safety of staff and a naive assumption that giving them things including potentially lethal weapons will appease them,' he added. 'The tail wags the dog, and officers are hospitalised as a consequence. It's no wonder new officers join and leave such a dangerous environment with increasing rapidity.' Rudakubana was jailed for a minimum of 52 years in January for the murders of three girls and attempted murders of eight other children, class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes. The Sun reported that his prison supervision was downgraded in recent weeks as he was previously in a healthcare unit being monitored round the clock. In response to the rise in attacks, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood previously announced that the use of tasers will be trialled in prisons and confirmed the Prison Service will conduct a 'snap review' of the use of protective body armour for prison officers.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
Dangerous prisoners ‘should not have right to kettles in cells'
Dangerous prisoners should not be given the right to keep kettles in their cells, campaigners have said in the wake of a reported attack by the Southport killer on a prison officer. Axel Rudakubana is believed to have thrown boiling water over an officer at HMP Belmarsh on Thursday in an alleged attack that is being investigated by police. The reported incident has renewed concerns about the safety of prison officers, following an attack last month by Hashem Abedi, the Manchester Arena bomber, at another prison. Abedi attacked three prison officers at HMP Frankland by throwing hot cooking oil and using 'home made weapons' to stab them, according to the Prison Officers' Association. There have now been calls for much tighter rules on whether dangerous inmates should have access to their own kettles, as appears to have been the case with Rudakubana. Ian Acheson, a former prison governor and former government adviser on extremism, said on Saturday: 'There is no 'rule' that mandated this. The ombudsman has no authority to mandate anything. 'Decisions about what is held in possession in a cell is at the discretion of governors, who should be applying dynamic risk assessments to control any potential harm based on previous or reasonably anticipated behaviour. 'This process seems to have fallen apart at HMP Belmarsh and other high security prisons where the rights of prisoners take precedence over safety of staff and a naive assumption that giving them things including potentially lethal weapons will appease them. 'The tail wags the dog, and officers are hospitalised as a consequence. It's no wonder new officers join and leave such a dangerous environment with increasing rapidity.' Mark Fairhurst, the chairman of the Prison Officers' Association, said: 'I am calling for supermax facilities in our prisons, so that extremely violent offenders who pose a significant risk to staff can be controlled and contained. We cannot accept any risk to staff from criminals who are determined to carry on with their atrocities.' Mr Fairhurst has previously called for a far tougher regime for dangerous prisoners in the UK, stating: '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. That would be for those who meet the criteria for a separation.' He has also called for a ban on kitchen facilities in separation units and for stab vests and tasers to be issued to prison officers. Tom Wheatley, the president of the Prison Governors' Association, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that prison officers did 'an incredibly difficult job' in 'overcrowded conditions'. Although it remains unclear how Rudakubana reportedly got hold of the hot water, Mr Wheatley said it was 'lower risk' to allow prisoners to boil water in their rooms than have officers bring hot water to prisoners' cells. 'Prisoners have used all sorts of things to cause injury to other people,' he added. 'Pretty much anything can be utilised to cause harm to somebody else. What we're really concerned about is the intent of people to do so.' Following the Belmarsh attack, the prison officer was taken to nearby Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich as a precaution and is expected to return to work next week. The number of assaults on staff in adult prisons in England and Wales per year has reached its highest level in a decade, according to data from the Ministry of Justice. Some 10,605 assaults on staff in male and female jails were recorded last year, up from 9,204 in 2023 and nearly three times the 3,640 in 2014. On Friday, Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, posted on X that prison violence had become a 'full-blown crisis' and called for Shabana Mahmood. the Justice Secretary, to act 'now'. Rudakubana was sentenced to a minimum of 52 years in January after killing Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Alice Aguiar, nine, and six-year-old Bebe King at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on July 29 last year. A public inquiry into the Southport murders began in April. In February, the Attorney General rejected calls for the Court of Appeal to review the length of Rudakubana's jail sentence. Rudakubana's minimum term of 52 years means he cannot be considered for release until he has served that amount of time in prison. Sir Nicholas Dakin, the justice minister, told Parliament in December that small travel kettles had been allowed to be in prisoners' possession for many years but could be removed following a risk assessment. He said: 'If a specific risk is identified in relation to use of a kettle, or intelligence is received that one may be used in an assault, the kettle will be withdrawn until it is assessed that it is safe to return it.' The Prison Service said: 'Police are investigating an attack on a prison officer at HMP Belmarsh. Violence in prison will not be tolerated and we will always push for the strongest possible punishment for attacks on our hard-working staff.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
10-05-2025
- Telegraph
Dangerous prisoners ‘should not have right to kettles in cells'
Dangerous prisoners should not be given the right to keep kettles in their cells, campaigners have said in the wake of a reported attack by the Southport killer on a prison officer. Axel Rudakubana is believed to have thrown boiling water over an officer at HMP Belmarsh on Thursday in an alleged attack that is being investigated by police. The reported incident has renewed concerns about the safety of prison officers, following an attack last month by Hashem Abedi, the Manchester Arena bomber, at another prison. Abedi attacked three prison officers at HMP Frankland by throwing hot cooking oil and using 'home made weapons' to stab them, according to the Prison Officers' Association. There have now been calls for much tighter rules on whether dangerous inmates should have access to their own kettles, as appears to have been the case with Rudakubana. Ian Acheson, a former prison governor and former government adviser on extremism, said on Saturday: 'There is no 'rule' that mandated this. The ombudsman has no authority to mandate anything. 'Decisions about what is held in possession in a cell is at the discretion of governors, who should be applying dynamic risk assessments to control any potential harm based on previous or reasonably anticipated behaviour. 'This process seems to have fallen apart at HMP Belmarsh and other high security prisons where the rights of prisoners take precedence over safety of staff and a naive assumption that giving them things including potentially lethal weapons will appease them. 'The tail wags the dog, and officers are hospitalised as a consequence. It's no wonder new officers join and leave such a dangerous environment with increasing rapidity.' 'We cannot accept risk to staff' Mark Fairhurst, the chairman of the Prison Officers' Association, said: 'I am calling for supermax facilities in our prisons, so that extremely violent offenders who pose a significant risk to staff can be controlled and contained. We cannot accept any risk to staff from criminals who are determined to carry on with their atrocities.' Mr Fairhurst has previously called for a far tougher regime for dangerous prisoners in the UK, stating: '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. That would be for those who meet the criteria for a separation.' He has also called for a ban on kitchen facilities in separation units and for stab vests and tasers to be issued to prison officers. Tom Wheatley, the president of the Prison Governors' Association, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that prison officers did 'an incredibly difficult job' in 'overcrowded conditions'. Although it remains unclear how Rudakubana reportedly got hold of the hot water, Mr Wheatley said it was 'lower risk' to allow prisoners to boil water in their rooms than have officers bring hot water to prisoners' cells. 'Prisoners have used all sorts of things to cause injury to other people,' he added. 'Pretty much anything can be utilised to cause harm to somebody else. What we're really concerned about is the intent of people to do so.' Following the Belmarsh attack, the prison officer was taken to nearby Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich as a precaution and is expected to return to work next week. The number of assaults on staff in adult prisons in England and Wales per year has reached its highest level in a decade, according to data from the Ministry of Justice. Some 10,605 assaults on staff in male and female jails were recorded last year, up from 9,204 in 2023 and nearly three times the 3,640 in 2014. On Friday, Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, posted on X that prison violence had become a 'full-blown crisis' and called for Shabana Mahmood. the Justice Secretary, to act 'now'. Rudakubana was sentenced to a minimum of 52 years in January after killing Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Alice Aguiar, nine, and six-year-old Bebe King at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on July 29 last year. A public inquiry into the Southport murders began in April. In February, the Attorney General rejected calls for the Court of Appeal to review the length of Rudakubana's jail sentence. Rudakubana's minimum term of 52 years means he cannot be considered for release until he has served that amount of time in prison. Sir Nicholas Dakin, the justice minister, told Parliament in December that small travel kettles had been allowed to be in prisoners' possession for many years but could be removed following a risk assessment. He said: 'If a specific risk is identified in relation to use of a kettle, or intelligence is received that one may be used in an assault, the kettle will be withdrawn until it is assessed that it is safe to return it.' The Prison Service said: 'Police are investigating an attack on a prison officer at HMP Belmarsh. Violence in prison will not be tolerated and we will always push for the strongest possible punishment for attacks on our hard-working staff.'
