Prison officers protest outside HMP Bedford after report warns of a ‘dangerous lack of control’

Prison staff are taking ‘unlawful’ action by protesting over ‘unprecedented’ violence and safety concerns in prisons, the Government has said.

Members of the POA, the trade union for prison staff, have been asked to demonstrate outside prisons in England and Wales from 7am today ‘until instructed otherwise’.

It follows a damning report warning of a ‘dangerous lack of control’ at HMP Bedford, their union said.

Standards across the prison estate have come under intense scrutiny in recent years amid a slew of highly critical reports and a deterioration in safety measures.

The POA General Secretary called for union members to protest until ‘instructed otherwise’

Prisons minister Rory Stewart said: ‘Prison officers do vital and important work and we urge them to return to their duty stations, in line with their obligations to the law and the prison service.

‘It’s irresponsible for the POA to encourage their members to take this unlawful action.

‘We are deploying our contingency plans but, by not turning up for work, these prison officers are putting their fellow staff and inmates at risk.’

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said it would be seeking an injunction to stop the action.

POA General Secretary Steve Gillan said the majority of prison officers would be outside prisons in car parks in protest against the ‘unprecedented decline in health and safety standards over past six years’.

He said: ‘We are coming out in protest to bring attention, under health and safety legislation, to the Government, to the general public, about conditions in our prisons for both prisoners and my members, of the rise in violence, the rise in drugs, the self-harm and everything that goes with it.’

Mr Gillan continued: ‘Under legislation the Government and employer have a duty of care toward my members, and I’m fed up of hearing of my members receiving smashed eye sockets, broken arms, broken legs, broken jaws, being attacked, spat on, having excrement and urine thrown at them, and enough is enough now.

‘We need ministers to start taking control of what’s going on.’

Pictured: Members of the POA protesting outside HMP Wormwood Scrubs in London

Prison staff have been ‘attacked, spat on, [had] excrement and urine thrown at them, and enough is enough now,’ said the General Secretary of the POA union

HMP Wormwood Scrubs: A Category B prison in Hammersmith and Fulham

The POA, which said it has 20,000 members in England and Wales, said about 90% of prison staff were members of the union. 

Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke had raised the alarm over the potential for a ‘complete breakdown’ in order and discipline at HMP Bedford.

Inmates have effectively taken control at the violent, overcrowded and vermin-infested jail, his report has warned.

The inspection at HMP Bedford, which concluded last week, found that the prison had the highest rate of assaults on staff – 116 in the last six months.

The inspection also found that five self-inflicted deaths had occurred since the last inspection, the smell of cannabis and other drugs ‘pervaded’ some of the wings and living conditions were poor – often overcrowded, dirty and vermin-infested.

It emerged in May that HMP Bedford had been placed into ‘special measures’ after the Prison Service determined it needed additional, specialist support to improve performance.

The facility was hit by a major disturbance in November 2016, reportedly causing £1 million of damage.

The HMP Bedford report is the fourth urgent notification the Government has issued since the scheme was introduced less than a year ago.

The process has also been triggered in relation to HMP Nottingham, HMP Exeter and HMP Birmingham.

In his annual report for 2017/18, Mr Clarke warned that staff and inmates have become ‘inured’ to conditions unacceptable in 21st century Britain and highlighted how thousands of inmates live in squalid and overcrowded cells, locked up for nearly 24 hours a day.

A report stated that HMP Bedford (pictured) was now in the hands of violent criminals

Official figures published in July revealed that assault and self-harm incidents were continuing to rise, both reaching new record highs, and authorities also face the major task of tackling the flow of contraband.

In the 12 months to March, there were 13,119 incidents of finding drugs in prisons – a rise of nearly a quarter (23%) compared to the previous year.

New psychoactive substances such as Spice have been described as a ‘game-changer’ for safety behind bars.

Mobile phones and SIM cards are  being discovered at an alarming rate, rising by 15% and 13% respectively in 2017/18. 

Prisons minister Rory Stewart (pictured) said prison officers do ‘vital and important work’ and urged them to ‘return to their duty’

The prison population almost doubled between 1993 and 2016 and it is forecast to ‘steadily’ rise by more than 3,000 over the next five years, according to Ministry of Justice analysis, reaching roughly 86,400 places in March 2023.

The MoJ said it doubled the prison sentence for anyone who assaults prison officers and added it would be investing £40 million to improve the estate and tackle the drugs problem, with 3,500 new officers to help ease the burden.

A watchdog report warned that inmates had effectively taken control in HMP Bedford. 

Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke pressured the Government to take urgent action, saying a recent inspection of the prison revealed a ‘dangerous lack of control’.

Mr Clarke sent an assessment to Justice Secretary David Gauke detailing how ‘extremely inexperienced’ staff struggled to exert their authority, with prisoners regularly ignoring rules and staff instructions.

He said: ‘Despite the best efforts of staff at all levels, there was a dangerous lack of control in many parts of the prison, leading us to fear that there could all too easily be a complete breakdown in order and discipline.

‘At times it felt as if prisoners were effectively in control, choosing when or if to comply with directions and consent to authority.’

During the visit an inspector found prisoners throwing food from higher landings.

Mr Clarke said: ‘Prisoners’ behaviour was very rowdy and unrestrained and the incident had the potential to escalate.

‘Staff were unwilling to go upstairs to intervene, and prisoners told the inspector this was not unusual.’

Mr Clarke triggered the ‘urgent notification’ scheme, which means the Government must respond within a month to set out its response to the findings.