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| Riot at Birmingham prison spreads to two further wings | Riot at Birmingham prison spreads to two further wings |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A disturbance by prisoners at HMP Birmingham has spread from two to four wings of the prison, according to sources. | A disturbance by prisoners at HMP Birmingham has spread from two to four wings of the prison, according to sources. |
| A specialist riot squad known as the Tornado Team has been deployed to quell the trouble, which started at the prison – formerly known as Winson Green – at about 9am. | A specialist riot squad known as the Tornado Team has been deployed to quell the trouble, which started at the prison – formerly known as Winson Green – at about 9am. |
| All prison officers have been accounted for at the jail, which is privately run by G4S. There were reports of a badly injured prisoner, and inmates burning and destroying their files. | All prison officers have been accounted for at the jail, which is privately run by G4S. There were reports of a badly injured prisoner, and inmates burning and destroying their files. |
| As a police helicopter hovered overhead, a steady stream of prison officers in black overalls carrying riot shields and equipment arrived on foot and in vans on Friday afternoon. One of the specially trained units of up to 15 officers had arrived from HMP Long Lartin near Evesham, Worcestershire. | |
| The managing director for G4S custodial and detention services, Jerry Petherick, said: “Our teams withdrew following a disturbance and sealed two wings, which include some administrative offices. The disturbance has since spread to two further wings. All staff have been accounted for. | The managing director for G4S custodial and detention services, Jerry Petherick, said: “Our teams withdrew following a disturbance and sealed two wings, which include some administrative offices. The disturbance has since spread to two further wings. All staff have been accounted for. |
| “Additional officers have arrived on site and we have deployed canine units within the prison. West Midlands police helicopter is also in attendance. We are working with colleagues across the service to bring this disturbance to a safe conclusion.” | “Additional officers have arrived on site and we have deployed canine units within the prison. West Midlands police helicopter is also in attendance. We are working with colleagues across the service to bring this disturbance to a safe conclusion.” |
| A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “The Prison Service is managing the ongoing incident at HMP Birmingham. The situation is contained, the perimeter is secure and there is no risk to public. We are absolutely clear that prisoners who behave in this way will be punished and could spend significantly longer behind bars.” | |
| Prison affairs academic and blogger Alex Cavendish told the Press Association an “inside informant” told him the trouble started with lights being broken and inmates controlling fire hoses. “The officers were then, as they are instructed to do, trying to get as many prisoners locked in their cells as possible to contain it,” he said. “While one of the officers was putting a prisoner in the cell he was threatened with what appeared to be a used syringe.” | |
| Cavendish said while this officer was distracted by the threat, “another inmate came up behind, snatched the keys from his belt and snapped the security chain”. He said that once prisoners had control of the keys, protocol tells the officers to “withdraw to a place of safety” and said they “abandoned the wing” where the incident started. | |
| A spokesman for the Prison Governors’ Association said: “It would appear, on the face of it, that the private sector has now been infected with the same disease that has had such a debilitating impact on the running of public sector prisons: an erosion of respect and a disregard for authority which has emboldened prisoners across both the public and private sector. Any suggestion that this riot is evidence that the staffing levels in public sector prisons are not a factor, or an insignificant one, is too simplistic.” | |
| The national chairman of the POA, Mike Rolfe, said the incident was “another stark warning to the Ministry of Justice that the service is in crisis”. | |
| “The whole facts surrounding the incident at HMP Birmingham are not known,” he said. “National resources have been deployed to deal with this incident involving approximately 300 prisoners within two prison wings. No staff injuries have been reported and staff are currently monitoring the situation and awaiting national support, through mutual aid.” | “The whole facts surrounding the incident at HMP Birmingham are not known,” he said. “National resources have been deployed to deal with this incident involving approximately 300 prisoners within two prison wings. No staff injuries have been reported and staff are currently monitoring the situation and awaiting national support, through mutual aid.” |
| POA members held protests outside jails around the country in November over health and safety concerns. | |
| Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon said the disturbances at the Birmingham jail are “hugely concerning”. The Labour MP said: “It must be hoped that order can be swiftly and peacefully restored. This is only the latest in a number of disturbances across the prison estate. The justice secretary is failing to get this crisis under control.” | |
| The Victorian category-B jail, which was built in 1849 and is close to the city centre, can hold 1,450 adult remand and sentenced male prisoners. | |
| A spokesman for the West Midlands ambulance service said it was called to the prison at 12.23pm. A hazardous area response team was in attendance, together with an ambulance and paramedic area support officer, but no details were available about any casualties or injuries suffered. | |
| It is the third disturbance in English prisons in less than two months. On 6 November a riot at the category-B Bedford prison caused chaos when up to 200 prisoners flooded the jail’s gangways. On 29 October, a national response unit had to be brought in to control prisoners during an incident at HMP Lewes in East Sussex. | It is the third disturbance in English prisons in less than two months. On 6 November a riot at the category-B Bedford prison caused chaos when up to 200 prisoners flooded the jail’s gangways. On 29 October, a national response unit had to be brought in to control prisoners during an incident at HMP Lewes in East Sussex. |
| There has been a string of warnings about safety behind bars after statistics revealed soaring levels of violence in jails in England and Wales, with assaults on staff up by 43% in the year to June. | There has been a string of warnings about safety behind bars after statistics revealed soaring levels of violence in jails in England and Wales, with assaults on staff up by 43% in the year to June. |
| Last month, the justice secretary, Liz Truss, unveiled her plans for prison reform, with measures including a recruitment drive to add 2,500 officers to the frontline and “no-fly zones” to stop drones dropping drugs and other contraband into prisons. | Last month, the justice secretary, Liz Truss, unveiled her plans for prison reform, with measures including a recruitment drive to add 2,500 officers to the frontline and “no-fly zones” to stop drones dropping drugs and other contraband into prisons. |