Prison staff faced 84 attacks by inmates, new figures show

Scale of issue at city’s jail clear from Freedom of Information query

New figures have revealed that staff at Perth Prison have been attacked by prisoners more than 80 times in the last four years.

The Freedom of Information request showed 84 assaults by prisoners on staff recorded between January 2015 and April 25 this year.

In that time, there have been 318 assaults by prisoners directed towards other inmates, while prison officers have had to break up 188 fights.

This year there have been 33 assaults by prisoners on other prisoners, nine assaults on staff and 22 fights have broken out.

The prison is accustomed to violence with a riot taking place in the jail during the 2016/17 financial year costing taxpayers nearly £40,000. Rioting inmates set fire to a pool table in Perth Prison’s C-Hall, prompting an evacuation.

A Scottish Prison Service spokesperson said: “Given the nature of their work, prison staff can work with dangerous and difficult individuals and on rare occasions assaults on staff unfortunately do occur.

“We recognise the importance of providing a safe environment for our staff and those in our care and it is our policy that all assaults are reported to the appropriate authorities.”

Perthshire-based Tory MSP Murdo Fraser has called for better protection for staff and inmates at the prison.

He said: “These figures show a pretty steady picture over recent years, but that shouldn’t take away from the fact that the level of incidents is far too high.

“We know Perth can be quite a violent prison and these figures confirm that. This is despite all the good work done by the staff.

“Our first concern must be for them and we need to consider how we can better protect them and the inmates.”