LOST KEYS COST PRISONS £1.3M
Taxpayers foot bill after sloppy security slip-ups
PRISON bosses have spent around £1.3million replacing lost keys over the past decade.
Ministry of Justice figures show that in the last year alone, £344,456 was wasted on keys stolen by inmates or misplaced by guards.
And in the previous 12 months the cost to taxpayers, which includes replacing locks, was £441,649.
A prison insider said: “It comes as no surprise, to be blunt. There’s a complete lack of training for key handovers – and too many prisoners and too few guards.
“Staff are outnumbered in most prisons, and these are convicted criminals we are talking about.
“It’s a miracle it hasn’t caused a riot inside as yet. And the whole time, every single loss is coming out of taxpayers’ pockets. It’s a scandal, to be honest.”
The issue was brought up in questions posed to the Prime Minister this week.
On Monday, Labour MP David Lammy said: “I want to ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been spent from the public purse on replacing lost prison keys in each year since 2010?”
In response, Conservative MP Lucy Frazer said: “Security is paramount within prisons. When a key/lock incident is reported an immediate investigation is undertaken to assess the risk and locking mechanisms and keys will be replaced.
“The cost of a lock will depend upon the size of the prison establishment and on which keys have been compromised.”
A Prison Service spokesman said last night: “Security is our priority and we will take swift action to protect the public.”