Prison officers ‘have to be armed’ to forestall homicide or kidnap | Politics | News | EUROtoday

Prison officers have to be armed with tasers, stun grenades and baton rounds to forestall their kidnap or homicide by terrorists, in response to Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick. The former Tory management contender desires “secure armouries” holding “lethal weapons” put in at most safety jails as a final resort to deal with violent prisoners.

Mr Jenrick stated the Government should “take back control” of the nation’s prisons from “Islamist gangs and violent prisoners”. There are robust fears terrorists will reach delivering weapons and explosives by drones to inmates.

A jail officer required emergency surgical procedure after being stabbed on Friday at HMP Long Lartin. The 25-year-old was airlifted to hospital after the assault. The Prison Officers’ Association (POA) desires terrorists put in “supermax” services and is demanding pressing motion “before a prison officer is murdered on duty”.

Police don’t think about the newest assault a terrorist incident however Mr Jenrick desires “highly-trained teams” to be armed to deal with the menace posed by extremists and harmful criminals. His plan relies on suggestions from counter-terrorism skilled and former jail governor Ian Acheson. Mr Jenrick commissioned a “rapid review” into jail violence.

There is rising concern concerning the risks confronted by jail officers. Southport killer Axel Rudakubana reportedly threw scorching water over a guard at HMP Belmarsh. This adopted an assault by Manchester Arena terrorist Hashem Abedi on employees at HMP Frankland.

Mr Jenrick desires motion to take away “radical Islamist” non secular figures from prisons and for all pastoral officers to require counter-terror safety clearance. He is urgent for the instant roll-out of “high-collar stab vests” to frontline officers.

The Shadow Justice Secretary stated: “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.”

Calling for the Government to cease “pussy-footing”, he stated: “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.”

Professor Ian Acheson stated: “Too often what goes wrong behind the walls of our high security jails passes unnoticed, as does the bravery of the men and women in uniform who deal every day with terrorists and other highly dangerous offenders. Robert Jenrick is right – 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.”

The POA final 12 months warned of the hazard of “total disaster” if a drone delivers “incendiary devices, a gun or ammunition”. Inspectors warned in November that so many drones had been delivering medicine to HMP Garth the high-security jail was “like an airport”.

Mark Fairhurst, nationwide chairman of the POA, stated: “[We have] asked for stab proof vests and the tactical use of tasers within our high security prisons. We also think now is the right time to introduce supermax facilities for the most dangerous terrorist prisoners who are determined to commit atrocities and target staff.

“The time for words has now passed and we urgently need action before a Prison Officer is murdered on duty.”

A Ministry of Justice supply stated: “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.”

A trial of tasers shall be launched this summer time. But the Government argues the introduction of “lethal weapons” into prisons surroundings would improve – not lower – the chance to officers.

It has additionally commissioned a “snap review” which can report within the coming days on whether or not “protective body armour” needs to be worn extra repeatedly. The Government says all chaplaincy roles already require “counter-terrorism clearance”.

Andrea Coomber, chief government of the Howard League for Penal Reform, stated: “Recent attacks on prison staff have been horrifying, and this is why Jonathan Hall KC has been appointed to lead an independent review into the incident in the separation centre in Frankland.

“For the wider prison system, the answer is not more weapons. It is ensuring that prisons offer stable and productive regimes that get people out of their cells and into purposeful activities. This requires urgent action to address the overcrowding that has put jails under intolerable pressure.

“Sensible steps to reduce the prison population would save lives, protect staff and help more people to move on from crime.”