200 criminals work as prison officers
Move ‘could help drugs gangs’ Bobby’s in the pink
CONvICTEd criminals are being hired as prison officers.
More than 200 are now working at jails in the UK, a Sunday Mirror investigation reveals.
It has sparked fears gangs could use the shock move to sell drugs to inmates. The Prison Officers’ Association has demanded an inquiry into the findings.
The Government is being blamed for letting standards drop in a bid to recruit thousands more officers. Freedom of Information figures show 158 ex-offenders are employed by the Prison Service with a further 46 at private jails.
Their convictions are understood to include drug offences and affray. POA chairman Mark Fairhurst said: “This needs to be fully investigated. It could clearly conflict with the nature of the job.
“We are worried about organised criminals infiltrating the service to smuggle contraband. Five or 10 years ago, most applicants with records would have been turned down flat.
“Now, with the Government panicking about critical staffing levels, they are being welcomed with open arms.”
In 2016, then Justice Secretary Liz Truss unveiled a white paper pledging 2,500 extra officers. The Government now brags it has recruited more than 3,000.
But critics point to high dropout rates. We found 928 quit in the year to September.
And 2,230 have quit in the past five years after less than 12 months in the job. The cost of wasted training was £25.6million.
A Prison Service spokesman said:“Reformed ex-offenders bring valuable skills and experience to rehabilitation roles. All applicants undergo rigorous checks”
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