Record levels of violence in British prisons as number of officers guarding most notorious lags falls by 30 per cent
New figures seen by the Sun reveal that staffing levels at Belmarsh – the jail that houses sick serial killer Stephen Port – have plunged 891 in 2010 to just 553
THE NUMBER of prison officers guarding Britain’s most notorious lags has fallen by nearly 30 PER CENT as violence soars to new record highs.
New figures seen by the Sun reveal that staffing levels at Belmarsh – the jail that houses sick serial killer Stephen Port – have plunged 891 in 2010 to just 553.
And Franklin Prison – the site of Britain’s first ‘jihadi’ wing – has seen 24 per cent fall from 961 to 732.
Long Lartin in Worcestershire – where a riot involving 80 prisoners erupted a fortnight ago – has seen officer numbers drop from 683 to 495.
Across all eight high-security prisons, officer numbers are down from 6,303 to 4,587 as the Government desperately seeks savings.
Labour backbencher Toby Perkins - sent the figures in a Parliamentary answer - said the scale of cuts was “appalling”.
And he stormed: “It puts into context the riots, suicides and disorder that has terrorised Britain’s prisons this summer.”
It came as separate official figures yesterday revealed the drug-fuelled levels of violence across all prisons hit a new record high in the 12 months to the end of June.
Assaults on prison staff soared 25 per cent to 7,437 – with 2,011 between April and June. Serious attacks on guards rose 14 per cent to 798.
There were 27,193 prisoner-on-prisoner attacks, up 14 per cent. And the number of self-harm incidents rose 12 per cent to a staggering 41,103.
The Howard League for Penal Reform demanded a new meeting with Justice Secretary David Lidington. And they slammed the Government’s move last week to move to quell the violence by arming officers with more ‘weapons’ such as pepper spray.
In a statement, Mr Lidington insisted the Government was investing £100 million to “boost the front line” – and was half way towards hiring an extra 2,500 prison officers.
He added: “Our prison staff work incredibly hard and I am under no illusions about the challenges they face.
“Violence against our dedicated staff will never be tolerated which is why I am supporting a Bill to increase sentences for those who attack emergency workers, including prison officers.
“I have been clear that it will take time, but I am determined to tackle the issues that undermine prison safety.”
