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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Prison officer stabbed in Swaleside jail riot | Prison officer stabbed in Swaleside jail riot |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A prison officer has been stabbed during riots at a jail in Kent. | A prison officer has been stabbed during riots at a jail in Kent. |
| The Prison Officers Association (POA) said a major disturbance had broken out at Swaleside Prison on the Isle of Sheppey. | |
| Spokesman Michael Rolfe told the BBC a prison officer had been injured. He said a disturbance began at the jail during the afternoon and is still continuing. | |
| The Ministry of Justice has not yet commented to the BBC. | |
| 'Drink or drug-fuelled' | |
| Mr Rolfe, who works at nearby Elmley prison, said he was in touch with colleagues at Swaleside. | |
| He said he had heard an officer had been injured and there were unconfirmed reports it was a stab wound to the head. | |
| "I'm told there are still some prisoners at height," Mr Rolfe said. "Usually they wait for negotiators to come in. | |
| "It sounds as if it's drink or drug-fuelled." | |
| He said police and fire teams went to the jail at 18:15 BST, and Kent fire brigade confirmed crews were at the scene. | |
| "There is a lot of damage to the prison," Mr Rolfe added, saying he believed the damage to be in accommodation areas. | |
| 'Not enough staff' | |
| Last week, a report on the jail said some prisoners were too scared to leave their cells for fears they will be assaulted. | |
| An unannounced inspection of HMP Swaleside found staff shortages were "affecting every area of the prison". | |
| Mr Rolfe linked staffing numbers to the latest disturbance, telling the BBC: "This is the problem with cuts to the service. We don't do the security checks we used to do. | |
| "They're not so thorough and they're not so frequent and unfortunately this is what happens. There are not enough staff to do it." | |
| HMP Swaleside is a category B prison and holds about 1,100 inmates. |