PRISON STAFF MURDER RISK

Two officers a day hospitalised

BRITISH jails are now so violent a prison officer could be murdered, it has been claimed.

Shocking figures revealed two workers a day are being sent to hospital after being attacked by inmates.

Ministry of Justice statistics show 787 serious assaults took place in the 12 months leading up to September 2017.

From 2010, attacks on staff have rocketed by 152%.

The Prison Officers Association spokesman Glyn Travis told how he “fears we will be mourning the murder of a colleague”.

He said: “These figures are truly shocking. They underline the fact that prison officers are facing more attacks that are more dangerous than ever before.

“The overcrowded conditions are a major factor in this upward curve of violence against staff doing a courageous job.

“A vital aspect of turning this around is to provide more welltrained officers, otherwise I fear we will be mourning the murder of a colleague.”

The biggest threat guards faced was being stabbed with homemade weapons.

In April, a mob of 20 young offenders put eight officers in hospital after a brawl at Cookham Wood jail in Kent. One suffered a broken cheekbone.

Last summer, at Brixton prison, south London, a gang battle put an officer in hospital with a broken arm.

The figures were among the latest Ministry of Justice safety in custody numbers. They come a week after a report by the HM Inspectorate of Prisons condemned the “squalid” state of HMP Liverpool.

New Jails Minister Rory Stewart said he was “looking very closely” at what could be done to bring the violence under control.

He added: “We will only transform our prisons into places of rehabilitation if we ensure that we address basic issues such as cleanliness, decency and safety.”