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Authorities deal with second day of trouble at Hertfordshire prison Authorities quell trouble at Hertfordshire and Wiltshire prisons
(about 2 hours later)
Disturbances flared up in two English prisons on Tuesday, including one in which trouble had been quelled by riot-trained prison officers the previous night.Disturbances flared up in two English prisons on Tuesday, including one in which trouble had been quelled by riot-trained prison officers the previous night.
Authorities were trying to bring The Mount prison, in Hertfordshire, under control for a second day, the Ministry of Justice said. A separate disturbance at Erlestoke prison, in Wlitshire, had been successfully dealt with by Tuesday afternoon. The Ministry of Justice said the latest incident at The Mount prison in Hertfordshire was resolved shortly before 5pm on Tuesday. A separate disturbance at Erlestoke prison in Wiltshire was also dealt with by Tuesday afternoon.
“Specially trained prison staff have been deployed to HMP The Mount to resolve an incident involving a number of prisoners. The situation at the prison remains contained and there is no risk to the public,” said an MoJ spokesperson on Tuesday afternoon. Prisoners with weapons were said to have taken over part of The Mount’s Nash wing, which houses up to 250 inmates. Officers from the Tornado squad, which is specially equipped to deal with riots, were called in again less than 24 hours after spearheading efforts to restore order at the category C adult male training jail.
Two wings of the same prison, which has struggled with staff shortages recently, were the scene of a lengthy disturbance on Monday. The Tornado squad, which is equipped to deal with riots, was sent in and emergency vehicles were seen nearby. “Specially trained prison staff have been deployed to HMP The Mount to resolve an incident involving a number of prisoners. The situation at the prison remains contained and there is no risk to the public,” said a Ministry of Justice spokesperson on Tuesday afternoon.
Referring to HMP Erlestoke, the MoJ said a “small number” of prisoners had been involved and that those responsible “will be referred to the police and could spend longer behind bars”. Two wings of the prison, which has struggled with severe staff shortages recently, were the scene of a lengthy disturbance on Monday. No staff or inmates were injured, but dozens of cells are reported to have been damaged.
The Mount and Erlestoke are category C prisons. The Mount has a population of more than 1,000 prisoners, while Erlestoke can hold more than 500. An outbreak of violent disorder at Erlestoke last year forced the closure of two wings and left a bill of more than £1m, according to the Swindon Advertiser. Referring to HMP Erlestoke, also a category C prison, the MoJ said a “small number” of prisoners had been involved and that those responsible “will be referred to the police and could spend longer behind bars”.
The Mount has a population of more than 1,000 prisoners, while Erlestoke can hold more than 500. An outbreak of violent disorder at Erlestoke last year forced the closure of two wings and lcaused more than £1m worth of damage, according to the Swindon Advertiser.
This week, a report warned that The Mount had lost experienced staff and suffered problems, including violence, last summer.This week, a report warned that The Mount had lost experienced staff and suffered problems, including violence, last summer.
An assessment from the jail’s Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) said that last summer “all the ingredients were in place for The Mount to suffer disorder such as has been experienced in other prisons – staff shortages, readily available drugs, mounting violence”. An assessment from the prison’s independent monitoring board (IMB) said that last summer “all the ingredients were in place for The Mount to suffer disorder such as has been experienced in other prisons – staff shortages, readily available drugs, mounting violence”.
The facility is described as a “hybrid training and resettlement prison” that caters for local inmates nearing the end of their sentences.The facility is described as a “hybrid training and resettlement prison” that caters for local inmates nearing the end of their sentences.
Campaigners and watchdogs have issued a series of warnings about violence, drug use and overcrowding across the prisons estate in England and Wales, which has been hit by a number of disturbances in the last year. The trouble flared less than a week after figures laid bare the scale of the safety crisis that has engulfed prisons across England and Wales in the last year. There were 26,643 assaults in the 12 months to March, including a record 7,159 attacks on staff – equivalent to nearly 20 a day.
Campaigners and watchdogs have issued a series of warnings about violence, drug use and overcrowding across the prisons estate in England and Wales, and the POA, the prison workers’ union, has called for an independent review.
Last month, Peter Clarke, the chief inspector of prisons, warned that staffing levels in many prisons were too low to maintain order and described the conditions in which some inmates were held as “squalid, dirty and disgraceful”.Last month, Peter Clarke, the chief inspector of prisons, warned that staffing levels in many prisons were too low to maintain order and described the conditions in which some inmates were held as “squalid, dirty and disgraceful”.
Mark Fairhurst, the acting national chairman of the POA – the Professional Trades Union for Prison, Correctional and Secure Psychiatric Workers – said staffing issues were a national problem. Mark Fairhurst, the acting national chairman of the POA, said staffing was a national problem. “It’s an epidemic throughout the country and we’ve been telling the employer for years now that they need to sit down with us and restructure the whole salary scales.
“It’s an epidemic throughout the country and we’ve been telling the employer for years now that they need to sit down with us and restructure the whole salary scales. “They are just not competitive enough with other public sector bodies or private industry. So we need to increase the starting salary to incentivise people to join and then we need to give them regular increments to incentivise them to stay. That’s not happening at the moment.”
“They are just not competitive enough with other public sector bodies or private industry.
“So we need to increase the starting salary to incentivise people to join and then we need to give them regular increments to incentivise them to stay. That’s not happening at the moment.”
Asked why it was difficult to retain staff, he said: “It’s a combination of adverse working conditions, the violence that they face, and the poor salary.”Asked why it was difficult to retain staff, he said: “It’s a combination of adverse working conditions, the violence that they face, and the poor salary.”