‘Exodus’ of prison officers as fears for safety grow | Politics | News
Thousands of prison officers leave the service every year amid warnings of threats to their safety and warnings that “hardened criminals” are lurking around inexperienced staff. There were 3,047 frontline service leavers registered in the 12 months to September, but only 2,416 attended.
It comes at a time when there are strong concerns about overcrowding and security risks in prisons, with the service reeling from the mistaken release of prisoners.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said: “Prison officers are being put in impossible positions. The government must watch its back and provide the protective equipment they need immediately. Delays put lives at risk.”
Mr Jenrick is concerned that prisoners sentenced to solitary confinement have successfully argued that segregating themselves from other prisoners is illegal under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
He said: “[Murderers] They use the ECHR to end isolation in prisons and get compensation. This is crazy.
“Some can now blend into the general population and pose a much greater threat to civil servants. The government must abandon its obsession with the ECHR and, ultimately, put national security and the safety of civil servants first.”
As of the end of June, the average length of service for a prison officer was just over five years.
Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin said: “The recruitment and retention of prison officers in this country is at crisis point. Wages have fallen in real terms and starting salaries for new recruits are barely minimum wage.”
“The terms and conditions of experienced prison officers have been changed, redundancy has been offered and in many cases accepted.
“This resulted in an exodus… Hardened prisoners now form a circle around young, inexperienced and poorly trained prison officers.
“The work is stressful, dangerous, full of personal threats, but the pay is low. It’s no wonder we can’t recruit and retain the right prison officers.”
Prisons minister Lord Timpson said: “We know that it is essential to have adequate and skilled staff on the front line to provide safe, secure and rehabilitative prisons. We are committed to ensuring prisons are adequately resourced and maintain and improve their level of experience.
“Comprehensive recruitment efforts will continue in all prisons where vacancies are available or are anticipated, and targeted interventions will be implemented in prisons where they are needed most.”
A Government spokesman said: “We have been clear that we will do all we can to protect our hard-working staff, which is why we are trialling stun guns in prisons and requiring protective body armor for prison officers working with the most dangerous offenders.
“We will not bow to legal threats from prisoners. When the most dangerous prisoners pose a risk, they will be placed in our specialist high security units.”
