Prison officer arrested after mobile phones discovery in jail
A PRISON officer has been arrested after prohibited mobile phones and batteries were discovered at HMP Forest Bank.
The female worker was stopped and detained while carrying out her daily duties on Saturday morning.
The M.E.N. understands the investigation concerns allegations that several banned items, including mobile phones and phone batteries, were brought into the category B prison.
Police confirmed that a woman was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of conveying a prohibited article into a prison.
She has since been released pending further investigation.
Sodexo Justice Services, the private company which runs the prison, confirmed that an officer has been suspended from her duties while the investigation continues.
A spokesman for the operator, which runs several prisons across England for the Ministry of Justice, confirmed that the investigation relates to a staff member.
“We can confirm a member of staff has been arrested,” they added.
“The member of staff has been suspended.
“As this is part of an ongoing police investigation we cannot comment any further.”
Forest Bank, which is located off Agecroft Road in Pendlebury, Salford, houses around 1,500 men. Some are serving sentences while others are on remand ahead of court hearings.
One prisoner, speaking from inside the prison, told the M.E.N. that the arrest of an officer made him feel ‘unsafe.’
He said the officer was arrested at the prison on Saturday.
He added: “It makes me feel unsafe if the prison officers are getting arrested.”
Another prison source said the officer was detained inside the prison by Greater Manchester Police officers.
“The police arrived at the prison and she was arrested,” they said.
“It was between 7.30am and 8.30am inside the prison and she was also searched.
“She was searched when she was entering and then the police came in and arrested her.”
A GMP spokesman confirmed that officers were called to HMP Forest Bank at around 9am on Saturday, April 7, to reports that prohibited items had been found at the prison.
They added that a woman was arrested on suspicion of conveying a prohibited article into a prison and has been released under investigation.
Anyone with information about the incident can call police on 101, quoting reference number 666 of 07/04/18 – or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.